Yoshihide Otomo's New Jazz Orchestra "Out to Lunch" (Doubt Music) 2005

What provoked Otomo to record Eric Dolphy's 1964 avant-garde classic "Out to Lunch" CD is anybody's guess. It's a wild, strange, unnerving five tunes, plus a new extended jam at the end, that is challenging to listen to but magically rewarding once inside. That Otomo digs back forty years for inspiration for his constantly innovative, totally unrestrained band is fascinating. More than just a fascinating recording, though, this is something of an achievement.

The orchestra's take on the originals is a real conversation, a way of picking up that music of that particular time and making it live again. More than reviving it, though the orchestra members all have a lot to say about it. They enter into not just the music but the spirit of the music. Following not only the song list, but the original album cover and design, Otomo and Orchestra take the music deep.

Moving from electric to acoustic to wild-open to something that sounds curiously like a zipper being run open, the orchestra knows no bounds. The jagged soundscapes, tumbling rhythms and anti-tradition energy are as relevant now as then. Though to reduce the recording to a "statement" is to miss most of the fun. There's a lot of ideas here, but there's a lot of amazing music, too.

What really makes this CD work are the extremes. Moments of silence balance moments of unfiltered sonic expression. At times, the orchestra seems to be listening to each other intimately, but at others, they all seem to be in their own musical space. Sometimes, those extremes are even in the same song.

The dedication to the music goes a long way to making this a record of great integrity and surprising accomplishment. It's hard to listen to at first perhaps for most listeners not attuned to the vocabulary, intention and seeming non-direction, but once into it, the rewards are amazing. This is just not a CD that can sit as background music. That's one of the strongest compliments to be paid.