A listener hearing the opening moments of "White Nights," the leadoff track to , might surmise that drummer/composer/bandleader traveled by train from his old hometown Chicago to the sunnier stomping grounds of new home L.A., and became inspired by the Great Plains rolling past his window, its endless fields suffused and saturated by early evening light. That's the sort of imagery "White Nights" brings to mind, with the expansive twang of guitarist ( , ) suggesting wide-open spaces in a manner similar to . This is merely one facet of , however, and axeman is masterfully diverse, his strong presence sometimes even suggesting he's leading the date. Yet this is 's trio, and the drummer penned five of 's ten tracks, while collaborating with and bassist ) on four improvisational numbers. The production often gives a huge, cavernous sound, one tipoff that he's the man in charge. Another clue is the rhythmic inventiveness apparent from the very start, as drives and syncopates, but never clutters up, the propulsive but unusual time signatures ("White Nights" in five; "Barocco" in seven). wrote some wonderful charts for his Chicago quintet-to-septet , and his compositional voice remains apparent in this stripped-down lineup -- so once again give credit to , as he melds improvisational lines with ringing single-note melodies and thick chords to create the richly textured sound envisioned for . And the music does get thick. "Mayan Sun" features a -style feedback-drenched assault; this track is followed by a seriously damaged version of 's "White Magic" from 1981's -- the label recording debut for none other than . The original "White Magic" was a pretty rockin' tune, but send it into overdrive, with blistering through the original call-and-response phrases of and saxophonists and . Aside from his deep propulsion, 's fine arco skills are also displayed on , nowhere more effectively than when paired with 's ambient washes and searching leads on the floating dronescape "Soft Rain on a Dead Sea." Beginning in darker ambient terrain, "Dreamspell" is pulled by the trio members into a free-rolling jam of escalating energy and tension until they lurch to an impromptu conclusion. 's nearly seven-minute "Time Stalkers" is more thoroughly composed but follows a similar energy trajectory, beginning as a ramshackle waltz and rocking out into walls of ringing chords and harmonics. The last of the drummer's compositions, "Translucent Spheres," ventures toward territory, not entirely a left-field surprise for , whose ability to conjure up a panoply of sounds seems assured as long as is given free rein. ~ Dave Lynch