USA: Clay Giberson - Pastures (Origin Records 2016)

Inspired by the touches of Americana roots music that inform many of the recordings of Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman, pianist Clay Giberson sought to explore the same in his own compositions on 'Pastures. ' Assembling an all-star group of like-minded, creative musical spirits - Donny McCaslin on saxophone, Matt Wilson on drums, and Drew Gress on bass - they combine their earthy improvisational awareness with a towering sense of song and form, creating a highly listenable collection. Featuring five original compositions and four arrangements of others from C. P. E. Bach to a Shaker hymn, the music evokes that pastoral element, the space that stretches across the American sky.