This is top notch modern jazz from a stellar group of individuals on the Chicago scene. Leader Dave McDonnel on reeds and electronics, Josh Abrams on bass, drummer Frank Rosaly, Chris Welcome on guitar, vibist Jason Adasiewicz, and cellist Tomeka Reid comprise the group. "Aethelstan" opens with a bright melody and unison guitar and bass. Rosaly keeps things syncopated throughout. The structure loosens for McDonnel's solo as he breaks apart the previously stated motif into a series of rolling lines with guitar adding dissonant stabs. "Painter of Tigers" follows a similar path of sinewy lines contrasting more open solo passages. "In a Clearing 1" is our first taste of Adasiewicz 's lovely vibes in duet with Abrams. Reid's cello creeps in adding beautiful counterpoint.

"Message from the North" revisits similar paths as the two openers, as a nearly lazy guitar strums beneath the polite melody. "Perch" is a straight up swinging affair, rooted in early 60's hard bop tempo with Abrams walking and Welcome's guitar anchoring Rosaly's swinging ride cymbal. The horn sounds a bit Joe Henderson at times, inside "out" if you get me. It's one of the most enjoyable tunes in the set. "The Three Castles" keeps the spang-a-lang alive with hints of Latin drumming breaking up the lively tempo. There's slightly more dissonance in the horn than the last cut but still not out of place on a 60's Blue Note record.

McDonnel's lines cross bars and make real use of the piano-less setting. "In a Clearing 2" brings Adasiewicz back in another short composition that sounds like the haunting tunes Grachan Moncur was writing for Mclean's records such as 'Destination Out!', with electronics adding another dimension. "Geranium" has a breezy, almost bossa feel at the start that switches to straight swing action for the guitar solo. McDonnel solos as the time slowly disolves into controlled chaos. At this point the song is held together only by centrifugal force before a re-stating of the theme at the close. "City of Birds" is relaxed and easy going, giving each member a chance to solo. The set closes with "In a Clearing 3" which is similar to the other two in its Reich-ian mallet work. A sorrowful cello bows above Abrams' solemn plucking and closes out the album. Overall it's a fine example of modern post bop with a few twists and turns. I have reviewed other records with different configurations of this crew, and this disc is similar in feel to all of those: clean tones, a balance of danger and well thought out song form, and excellent interplay abound.