Sunship

Taking its name from the album on which John Coltrane truly headed into outer orbits, Sunship has a good dose of all the things that matter – drive, flair, great imagination, nuance… You’ll probably be well aware of the inimitable Stuart Dempster, trombone master and conch-shell conjurer, long-ago North American pioneer of the didgeridoo, and grand vizier of open-eared and open-hearted sound. With him here is the stellar saxophonist Michael Monhart, a player steeped in musical traditions of the world. Sunship’s rhythm section – drummer David Revelli and electric bassist Andrew Luthringer – drives, thrusts, and anchors, while slashing and searing through the whole is the ridiculously too-little-acclaimed Brian Heaney, as fine a guitarist as any in the city, regardless of genre. This is an “intergalectric” ensemble that will reset your controls. – Peter Monaghan, Earshot Jazz