The majestic collection by American orchestral-jazz composer Maria Schneider is devoted to her beloved Minnesota countryside – nurtured over a decade, partly fan-funded and self-released in the summer with an absence of media leverage that made it easy to miss. The title track, named after a local farm significant to her childhood, balances cannily chosen instrumental voicings (from quietly Bill Frisell-like guitar beginnings over a humming accordion, to piano harmonies recalling Messiaen and Schneider’s mentor, Gil Evans), slow-burn build ups, sensitive improvising and richly layered brass and reeds. A wistful clarinet melody guides the fragile Walking By Flashlight; flute sweeps and accordion waltzes precede voluble trumpet/trombone improv on The Monarch and the Milkweed; and though much of this heartening music is reflective, a formidable rhythm section and Schneider’s faith in her longstanding lineup of fine improvisers kindle plenty of expansively swinging music, too.
