" data-original-title="" title="">Adam O��Farrill presents a sharply contoured, richly imagined statement for mid-sized band—his most complete vision to date. Drawing on an eclectic range of influences, from 1930s-era music, literature and film to the rhythms of contemporary urban life, O'Farrill leads a wily crew of his peers through a program that moves with narrative cohesion. Though not a suite in the formal sense, the album unfolds like one, the pieces linked by emotional throughlines and common inspiration.

Almost every cut brims with intrigue, but has space to breathe, to evolve without rushing from one setup to the next. The ten compositions, all penned by O'Farrill, serve less as vehicles for improvisation than fully developed environments in which improvisation is organically embedded. Destinations are both routinely unpredictable and satisfyingly inevitable. There is a tactile quality to the arrangements— counterpoint, hocketing beats, and shape-shifting ensemble roles that evoke