Ritual

Scaling back from the massive 28-piece ensemble of previous records, Mats Gustafsson orchestrates a tighter, 21-member collective for this stunningly intense avant-garde jazz epic. The album acts as a massive, five-part suite characterized by overwhelming brass crescendos, thunderous polyrhythms, and the commanding dual vocals of Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg. It is a profoundly powerful, meticulously composed triumph of modern big-band improvisation.