Founded and directed by pianist Paul Grabowsky, a pillar of the Aussie jazz scene, the AAO existed ‘on the smell of an oily rag’ in its early stages before becoming something of an institution, funded by such august bodies as the Australia Council for the Arts, among others. In more recent times Grabowsky handed the baton to Peter Knight, under whose stewardship the AAO has undertaken a number of ambitious projects of varying size drawing on a pool of talent associated with the orchestra. Sometimes Home Can Grow Stranger Than Space is based on an idea from Grabowsky, comprising a suite of three pieces composed as an elegy to those whose lives were affected by the Great War as recorded in World War One: A History in a 100 Stories by Bruce Scates, Laura James and Rebeca Wheatley. ‘Sharp Folds’ is by Peter Knight, ‘I was Only a Child’ by Tilman Robinson and ‘Bent Heart’ by Andrea Keller. In an ensemble of elusive densities, each composer and arranger emerges with a distinctive and coherent approach, almost as if there are three AAOs participating on the album. Each composition is striking, interpreted with flair and expressivity in an impressive addition to the AAO discography.