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A follow-up to 2022’s alternately engaging, mysterious, joyful, and uplifting Quartetinho, Bloom finds the Israeli clarinet virtuoso Cohen back together with her Brooklyn-based comrades (bassist Tal Mashiach, keyboardist-accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, and vibraphonist-percussionist James Shipp) on a varied program of buoyant originals by each member of the band. They also tackle a challenging classical number and a swinging, if quirky, interpretation of Thelonious Monk’s “Trinkle, Tinkle,” both with magnificent results. Cohen’s playful opener, “The Night Owl,” showcases her clarinet virtuosity and introduces a delightful sense of group interplay. Mashiach’s flamenco-flavored “Paco” finds the bassist deftly switching to guitar and overdubbing interlocking parts. Cohen’s choro-like “Coco Roccoco” has her sailing over Shipp’s deep Brazilian groove, and they strike a moody atmosphere on Gonçalves’ Astor Piazzolla-influenced “Tango Para Guillermo.” Shipp also contributes two stirring compositions in his suite-like “Superheroes in the Gig Economy,” which gradually builds from soulful exposition to grand cacophony, and the sparsely wistful “Friends in Every Manner of Convenience.” And their flawless execution on “La Catedral: III Allegro Solemne” is another stunning display of chops and groupthink.
By Bill Milkowski
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