Esthesis Quartet - Sound & Fury

Introspection can be born from any number of events. Losing a valued mentor is a moment that would give anyone pause. Esthesis Quartet members Dawn Clement and Elsa Nilsson searched deep inside to come to terms with the loss of their mentor, Ron Miles. Along with bandmates Emma Dayhuff and Tina Raymond, the quartet creates a program of music inspired by self-reflection, contemplation and self-discovery on their new album, Sound & Fury, that features the fantastic Bill Frisell on guitar.

The four musicians of Esthesis Quartet met through happenstance. Clement was first introduced to Swedish flutist Elsa Nilsson when Nilsson came to study with Clement at Cornish College in Seattle. Later, Clement crossed paths with the Los Angeles based drummer Raymond at the Reno Jazz Festival and Raymond met the Chicago-based Dayhuff when the bassist visited Los Angeles as an accompanying musician for an improvising dance troupe and sat in at a local jam session.

During the pandemic, Clement and Nilsson invited Raymond and Dayhuff to create a compositional support group, workshopping music together via Zoom. Once restrictions were loosened, the quartet become more than a workshop band, as they had become a cohesive and original ensemble. They called themselves Esthesis Quartet. Since then, the Quartet has released two albums.

Clement moved to Denver to join the faculty at Metropolitan State University in 2018. She came excited with the prospect of working alongside trumpeter Ron Miles. Miles was the reason Clement decided to leave Seattle, as Miles had been instrumental in her performing career as a bandmate with Matt Wilson’s Honey & Salt band and in his support of her as an educator.

Nilsson met Miles as an undergraduate at Cornish College. She was immediately struck by how he could slough off his modest nature when he played or spoke, filling the room with a joyful energy. It was an inspiration for Nilsson as she was coming to terms with social anxiety. On another occasion, Nilsson asked Miles for a lesson only to be invited for an informal day of improvising, cementing a friendship and musical mentorship.

Unfortunately, Miles’s illness prevented as much collaboration between Clement and Nilsson. While he was in hospice, musicians, including Clement and Nilsson, compiled improvisations to be shared with Miles. The improvisations that Clement and Nilsson created provided groundwork for the pieces that they present on Sound & Fury. Sadly, Miles passed away in early March 2022, leaving an unfillable hole in the jazz and creative music communities.

Esthesis Quartet received a Chamber Music America Performance Plus grant to record this project and had initially intended Miles to be part of it. Due to his illness, Miles could not participate and suggested Bill Frisell to fill the role. After Miles’s passing, the members of the Quartet began to develop their pieces with Frisell in mind as an additional voice and soloist.

The recording begins with the first movement of Clement’s four movement “Suite for Ron Miles,” entitled “Where I Begin.” The intro to the piece finds Clement’s wordless vocals trying to find its place amongst Nilsson’s flute jabs and the rhythm section’s insistent beat. The piece mirrors the improvisatory experience of finding one’s way in an unfamiliar song, giving voice to the feeling of denial. Raymond’s impassioned drums drive “Together,” a piece that finds the quartet with Frisell trying to unite and become in sync with their sound in a type of musical bargaining.

The ”Suite” continues with “Fit of Fury,” the movement dealing with anger after loss. The piece is played freely with members of Esthesis and Frisell expressing themselves openly in a passionate, improvised setting that Miles enjoyed so much. The dynamics between the Quartet members and the guest guitarist are remarkable in their nuance in interaction. The “Suite” concludes with “Is There a Message,” a loving letter to Miles expressing depression in his loss. Dayhuff’s resonant bass introduces the delicate melody led by Clement’s voice and Nilsson’s flute.

Nilsson’s “Just Come Play” echoes the warm, open invitation Miles would give to potential collaborators. Built on an improvisation that the flutist sent to Miles, the piece develops from a flute and guitar duet, unfurling into a gorgeous ballad of tremendous warmth and character.

Dayhuff wrote “Capricorn” after her first astrological reading with pianist Bobby Irving III. The reading was eerily accurate and moving as she contemplated a new transition from Chicago to Los Angeles. Utilizing electronic effects that have become an important element in the Esthesis sound, “Capricorn” is a tone poem with a mysterious air that contemplates things that are uncontrollable. The program concludes with Raymond’s “Ace of Pentacles.” Inspired by the tarot card of the same name, the piece is a simple composition written first for bass that is performed in a playful, folk-like round. The concludes the recording with a hopeful quality.

There are many influencing agents that present themselves over a lifetime. Whether it be a motivating individual or a sign from the cosmos, these influences should be considered and weighed. Esthesis Quartet and Bill Frisell explore these contemplative moments through song on their new release, Sound & Fury.