" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Dolphy, Potsa Lotsa blasted off with Potsa Lotsa: The Complete Works Of Eric Dolphy (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010). An auspicious debut, Eberhard's quartet stripped Dolphy's compositions down to their melodic essence before reimagining—a fittingly inventive homage.

Then came Potsa Lotsa Plus, an octet featuring six wind instruments and electronics. Dolphy's music was still a guiding light, but with PL Plus, Eberhard stretched her horizons to tackle contemporary classical music. Potsa Lotsa XL, a tentet, saw Eberhard's focus redirected towards her own compositions. Not infrequently, guest musicians would steer the music in adventurous new directions. This was the case with Gaya (Trouble in The East Records, 2022), where Korean gayageum (plucked zither) player Youjin Sung stirred Eberhard's writing to fascinating effect. PL XL's fourth release is an in-house affair that underscores Eberhard's ability to harness individual personalities to collective benefit.

Economy is the key here on Amoeba's Dance. The shortest of the 18 compositions clocks in at 36 seconds. A further six barely top the one-minute mark. Solos, while passionately delivered, are rationed and measured. Eberhard's guiding concept for her little big band is one of cellular expansion and contraction—individual voices drop in and out as the music dictates. The bite-sized sequence of the pieces and their somber Latin titles suggest one long suite, but the separation between tracks largely nullifies that notion. The track breaks may reflect a concession to diminishing modern attention spans, especially when faced with music as densely layered and as rhythmically intricate as PL XL's. Then again, the mini breathers may be a kindly gesture to the musicians, particularly with live performances in mind.

From the late-night, conversational purring of "Dactlylopodial" to the