Silvan Schmid Quintet: At Gamut

30-year-old Swiss trumpeter Silvan Schmid performs at a level of ingenuity and craftiness that some listeners might consider out of the ordinary for such a young artiste. Nonetheless, he's developed a mature and rather cunning compositional style. Among other noteworthy aspects, Schmid employs tubaist Lucas Wirz and cellist Silvan Jeger to build the lower-register bass parts with expansive flows and malleable sound designs. They also enjoy soloing opportunities amid the brazen choruses embedded with subtle melodies and odd-metered unison sprees. Schmid's works are often constructed with geometric formations via rippling currents and climactic buildups.

The quintet injects an abundance of off-centered surprises into the program. On "Spartitur II," Jeger and Wirze deliver punctuated offbeat motifs, followed by alto saxophonist Tapiwa Svosve's feisty soloing, and anchored by drummer Vincent Glanzmann's revved-up pulse. Here, the artists' high-impact impetus erupts into tornadic crescendos. The hornists incorporate extended techniques and supple plots into rubato metrics, roaring passages, divergent routes and multifarious time signatures.

Schmid and Svosve are formidable soloists, yet from a holistic stance, the quintet abides by a democratic process. The final track "In Bocca Al Lupo," launches with Wirz' pumping lines, contrasted by Jeger's somber developments, and lightened by the hornists' toned-down phrasings. Although, the musicians delve into a gradual rebuilding process that concludes on a temperate note. Essentially, the quintet implements a musical agenda that gushes with ingenuity, entrenched with an assertive and wily sense of adventure.

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