By Deuce

It’s pretty curious that Joan Torres’ All Is Fused decided to call its most recent LP “Embrace Form”. The collection of songs, for the most part, seems characterized by a deliberate irreverence for form or, more precisely, song structure.

Instead, these tunes—which include meandering efforts such as the seven-plus minute opus “Cotati Reset” and an over-eight minute affair entitled “Darker Decision”—seem to celebrate improvisation and a gentle nuzzling between instruments that doesn’t easily fit into a top 40 playlist.

The former of these numbers, “Cotati” sounds much more like an inspired, extended interlude from Charles Lloyd back in his 60’s heyday. It’s slow and pensive at points, which is largely attributed to the unwinding bass notes for which Torres himself is responsible. There’s also otherworldly synths, panned and stretched out, and a richness of percussion from Fernando Garcia’s live drums that imbue it with a pondering, reflective vibe that’s hard to miss. Ultimately it’s the wind instrument, Jonathan Suazo’s alto sax, that makes one think of the legendary Lloyd, and which helps to guide the cut that otherwise could have easily gone in any number of directions.

“Unexpectations” lives up to its part in its complete belying of any sort of song structure. The tune shifts tempos, going from an upper mid-tempo track to one that ultimately becomes much faster, rising and surging with each fervent note from the cadre of instrumentalists. The glue throughout the ditty is the drumming which, oftentimes takes the lead and has a number of solos for a smattering of bars apiece. But then, in mid-flow, it inexplicably disappears—time and time again—sometimes supplanted by the incendiary electric guitar playing of either Gabriel Vicens or Sergio Gonzalez, sometimes by the sax, and other times by the piano efforts of Emanuel Rivera.

Rivera’s best work by far is on “Decisions”, but the same may readily be said of that of the other players, as well. Easily the most accessible song on the album, it opens with a pairof guitars that any producer would be pleased to sample, the one a grooving, incessant rhythm and the other the electric lead. And, when Rivera comes in, about two minutes into the outing, punctuating that phrasing with a smart, soothing smattering of high notes to give them pause, peace, and sunshine, things certainly take a turn for the better.