Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Bisio: NuMBq

Michael Bisio: NuMBq

By Mark Corroto
March 26, 2025
View read count

Michael Bisio

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Bisio borrows the phrase "and now for something completely different" from Monty Python's Flying Circus to describe his new quartet, NuMBq. Joining the bassist is longtime collaborator

Jay Rosen

drums
b.1961

" data-original-title="" title="">Jay Rosen on drums, along with two musicians traditionally rooted in classical music: violist

Melanie Dyer

viola

" data-original-title="" title="">Melanie Dyer and English horn player

Marianne Osiel

english horn

" data-original-title="" title="">Marianne Osiel. With NuMBq, Bisio blurs the line between chamber music and jazz—but let's not confine this session to the Third Stream category.

Early jazz-classical hybrids, such as Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955
" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker with Strings (Clef Recordings, 1955), often felt like an attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole. Later experiments by

Gunther Schuller

composer / conductor
1925 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Gunther Schuller,

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis and

Gil Evans

composer / conductor
1912 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Gil Evans emphasized the contrast between the two styles rather than their fusion. Bisio's compositions take a different approach, aligning more closely with

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman's Prime Design/Time Design (Caravan of Dreams, 1986), in which improvisation and structure coexist seamlessly.

The album's opening track, "Elegy for MG," begins with Rosen's shimmering cymbals and delicate drumming before settling into a chamber-like atmosphere, with Bisio's bowed bass guiding the viola, English horn, and Rosen's subtle chimes. As the piece unfolds, improvisation emerges naturally within the flow of Bisio's compositions. This refined interplay stands in contrast to the restless energy of "Densities Roy G Biv," a freewheeling group improvisation bursting with layered textures. "Going Home/Amazing Grace" is the most intimate track on the album, featuring a lyrical conversation between Bisio's expressive bass and Dyer's viola as they weave together two traditional melodies. Meanwhile, the stormy "Vib Gyor" builds with dense dynamic tension, as individual notes pierce through the maelstrom. "Broken Waltz" carries a similar urgency, evoking the chaos of navigating through heavy traffic.

Bisio and his quartet don't simply merge jazz and chamber music—they reshape the boundaries of both, creating a sound that is as unpredictable as it is captivating.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Elegy For MG; Broken Waltz; Going Home/Amazing Grace; AC 2.0NU; Vib Gyor; Medicaid Melancholy; Densities Roy G Biv; Improv #1091.

Personnel

Michael Bisio

bass, acoustic

Melanie Dyer

viola

Marianne Osiel

english horn

Jay Rosen

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Michael Bisio: compositions; Jay Rosen: percussion.

Album information

Title: NuMBq | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Mahakala Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Ensemble C (Claire Cope), Omar Thoma...
< Previous

Mingus Unearthed!
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.