1 	Soti 	
2 	The Pines 	
3 	Time To Run 	
4 	Madeleine 	
5 	Bullet 	
6 	Aftersun 	
7 	First Light 	
8 	Golden Hour 	
9 	A Blaze

Bill Laurance - Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Clavinet, Keyboards [Prophet 8, Moog Voyager,
 Roli Seaboard, Korg MS2000], Mellotron, Organ [Hammond], Percussion
Robert "Sput" Searight - Drums, Percussion, Bass [Moog], Organ [Hammond] 
Michael League - Electric Bass, Bass [Upright], Bass [Moog] 
Weedie Braimah - Percussion 

Snarky Puppy pianist Bill Laurance has let the solo persona he introduced on painterly and cinematic journeys such as 2014’s Flint and last year’s Swift off the leash with Aftersun. It’s an uninhibited jam on more succinct materials, featuring his Snarky Puppy rhythm-section partners Michael League and Robert Searight and the exciting St Louis-based Ghanaian Weedie Braimah, whose hand drums provide fireworks that light up the set. There’s a contemporary Headhunters feel in the wah-wah sounds and choppy time swaps of the opening Soti, while the gentle piano hook of The Pines invokes Robert Glasper – and a fast rhythmic undertow, contrasting with the languid theme, sets a creative pattern often revisited on the session. The flute-like theme and African drums sound of Bullet have a ritualistic grip; the title track is a brooding anthem; A Blaze is an irresistible hook with a Caribbean feel. For all its sense of players’ freedom, though – and some flying piano breaks from the leader – Aftersun might still have too smooth a sheen for some jazzers, but there’s no doubting Laurance’s creativity as a very unusual kind of world musician. ---John Fordham, theguardian.com

This is a welcome and highly impressive new release from the Brooklyn based former leader of the Grammy Award winning Snarky Puppy, two of his former colleagues and the highly accomplished percussion master Weedie Braimah. Recorded at The Parlor Studios in New Orleans the nine titles here are in essence forward looking in outlook, but also pay homage to the great genre breaking bands of the past, such as Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra. There is a refreshing authoritative twenty first century feeling about the Bill Laurance multi keyboard technique, as those who attended his performance at last year's Love Supreme Festival will have witnessed. The group interplay and empathy throughout this album is of the highest order and all the compositions have freshness and originality having all been composed by band members.

Some tracks such as the opener "Soti", the funk like "A Blaze" and "Bullet" lay down a mood or create or ambiance rather than state a theme for development and exploration. These tracks draw the listener in and retain attention due to the quality of the compositions and high standard of musicianship involved. A multi layered sound is employed on the title track "Aftersun" where the haunting theme has electric piano out front over keyboards and subdued percussion. The three semi acoustic tracks where the leader displays his considerable piano skills, are the album highlights. "The Pines" has a reflective blues feel about it, "Madeline" has a strong melody from the piano which floats over an almost rock like back beat from the drums and orchestral programming and the highly evocative "Golden Hour" has a compelling theme superbly delivered.

Having just completed a UK tour with four nights at Ronnie Scotts, the band now have concerts in Boston, Chicago, St Louis and Santa Monica before recording sessions for two more albums promised for release later this year. This recording is a great buy for both dedicated fans and newcomers to this music on either side of the Atlantic. ---Jim Burlong, jazzviews.net

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1. Prologue: Fjords [8:28]
2. December In New York [4:56]
3. Swift [4:43]
4. U-Bahn [6:49]
5. The Rush [5:22]
6. Denmark Hill [5:13]
7. Red Sand [5:20]
8. The Real One [6:26]
9. Mr. Elevator [5:03]
10. One Time [4:22]
11. The Isles [3:25]
12. (silence) [5:05]
13. Epilogue [3:35]
14. Watch The Album [60:47]
15. Song Selection
16. Prologue: Fjords [8:28]
17. December In New York [4:56]
18. Swift [4:43]
19. U-Bahn [6:49]
20. The Rush [5:22]
21. Denmark Hill [5:13]
22. Red Sand [5:20]
23. The Real One [6:26]
24. One Time [4:22]
25. The Isles [3:25]
26. Epilogue [3:35]
27. Bonus Features
28. Swift Trailer [1:59]
29. Flint Trailer [2:40]

Bill Laurance - keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, and keybass on Mr Elevator
Michael League - guitars, basses, and moog bass
Robert 'Sput' Searight - drums and percussion
Maria Im - violin
Henry Flory – violin
Curtis Stewart – violin
Christiana Liberis – violin
Irena Momchilova – viola
Kallie Ciechomski – viola
Maria Jeffers – cello
Sam Quiggins – cello
Matt McLaughlin - French horn
Achilles Liarmakopoulos – trombone
Sirintip - vocals on Fjords, Swift and U-Bahn
Brad Holt - gong on Red Sand

It's got all things that are good! Jazzy, Modern, an assortment of pianos/keyboards, & incredibly talented artists! Favorite track: Mr. Elevator. ---David Rice, billlaurance.bandcamp.com

This is one of those albums you can just kick back and relax as it takes you through an adventure of sounds. Red Sand in particular is a delightful exploration of rhythm. Favorite track: Red Sand. --- Furyhunter, billlaurance.bandcamp.com

With last year’s Flint, Snarky Puppy’s British keyboardist Bill Laurance revealed his parallel life as an imaginative TV and film composer, and used the band’s powerful rhythm team of bassist Michael League and drummer Robert “Sput” Searight to reinforce the point. Swift resumes where Flint off, with Laurance further broadening his soundworld of blended classical music, jazz, funk grooves and improv. Vocoder speech-bends nudge through orchestral swirls and heart-thudding drums, while whimsical piano vamps and soft bass figures become gliding dances pushed by choppy cello riffs. The title track has a hard-rocking undertow that drives a cooing wordless vocal and then a dubstep groove, and the dramatic U-Bahn showcases Laurance’s powerful writing for cello. A percussion showcase for Searight on The Rush, north-Africanised world-music on Red Sand, and imaginative use of electronica on Mr Elevator testify to the formidable Laurance’s rapid evolution, even if it’s toward a musical world in which most forms of jazz-rooted improv have to be content with a textural role. --- John Fordham, theguardian.com

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