Two offerings from the masterful composer in a rich vein of form that demonstrate his ability to still draw newness from what is now a wholly recognisable musical language. The nucleus of tuba-cello-drums, borne of Threadgill's longstanding interest in a low register that is weighty yet wafting and supple rather than overly dense and static, is unerringly coherent. Indeed, on Double Up we hear a sound that hovers, or as Threadgill himself puts it, reflects his desire to “suspend a flower in mid air without a stem”. To that end, especially in the epic 23-minute opener, ‘Game Is Up’, there is an engrossing change of configurations within the ensemble, whereby the presence of three fine pianists, David Bryant, David Virelles and Luis Perdomo, galvanises and alchemises the arrangement without, crucially, overpowering it. 14 Or 15 Kestra is, as the name suggests, an orchestra, which again the leadercomposer approaches with a playful flexibility. Inspired by the artist Walter de Maria and sculptor Stephen De Staebler, the 10-part suite Dirt… is a notable example of how to link episodes in an overarching narrative, all the while having each piece stand independently. While the minutelong piano duet marks the starkest of contrasts with the rest of the material the bulk of the wily, coiling arrangements continually reveals a wide range of nuances, making the point that the unique rhythmicharmonic sensibility of the music, which often hinges on crisp, punchy phrases deployed in very precise incremental shifts amid double drums and piano, retains a creative mileage. As he has shown many times before, Threadgill can create a soundworld with powerful lyrical and metaphorical connotations, and whether Dirt… is simply a comment on the raw materials of art or the dark heart of modern life, or maybe both, there is something deeply afecting about the blend of tantalising and eerie themes that mark another notable release in the composer's singular, prolific body of work.