Tom Varner

When it came time to prepare for this recording, I was intrigued by the possibilities of a quintet consisting of three winds, bass, and drums. My earlier projects had been either in the trio, quartet, or traditional jazz quintet format－now I wanted to write for a group that could play expressive chamber music, swing hard, and improvise on a high level. As envisioned, the compositions would combine inspiration from numerous sources to create something relevant to the present, reflecting today's c…