The Roberto Pianca-led ensemble Sub Rosa's second release is a concentrated exercise in inter-communicative restraint, subtlety and woven odd meters that provokes the mind while consoling the soul. It's a cool affair that profits from the individual talents' accurate performances and inquisitive spirits as much as the leader's proficiently crafted compositions. Where the predecessor, self-titled Sub Rosa (Wide Ear Records, 2013) was a rather rigorously tempered and vigorously executed display of broad technical virtuosity, Mono No Aware scales things back a bit and reveals patient development in a conceptually-toned setting instead.

Pianca isn't the boasting kind of guitarist. His language has a unique twist to it that imposes itself upon the listener with each melodic turn and unexpected harmonic twist, but his own playing remains sparse and minimal throughout, as does that of all musicians involved in this recording, though a lack of talent surely isn't the reason why.

New York-based pianist