Ellipsis Quintet is an orginal Jazz Prog project from Greece consisting of 5 eclectic artists who each give their own personal touch to the sound. Their debut album “Avoid The Void” was released on May 20, 2022 and contains 8 medium-length tracks that enhance their individual and group technique. The album opens with the title track “Avoid The Void,” which immediately immerses us in the Prog sounds with marked Jazz contaminations characteristic of the project. The rhythm section is solid and elaborate, enriched by tempo changes, and in the first part guitar and trumpet duet in a technical solo, with keyboards weaving in the melodies. The track develops between continuous changes that highlight the technique of the artists involved, touching on various styles of Jazz and Prog and alternating in the solos. melancholic atmospheres permeate “Minor Setback” a distinctly jazzy track, which develops with hard guitar riffs in the middle section. Alternating more Heavy passages with the guitar as protagonist counterbalance the Jazzy parts, with fine virtuosity and excellent solos. The album’s longest track “The Call” alternates between passages of rhythmic Jazz and Spiritual openings, with an engaging rhythm section and impressive horn work. In the second half the organ takes center stage with an extended retro solo with virtuosic features, concluding by returning to the track’s central theme. “Libation” is a track that shows the more Spiritual Jazz side of the band, with an elaborate and softer rhythm section. The bass lines are deep and hypnotic, while an extended solo accompanies us throughout, taking us with our minds to a distant musical universe. In the finale the intensity increases and the song chidue in a crescendo that echoes the opening theme. A Funky rhythmic pattern characterizes the structure of “Phai” with horns and continuous tempo changes being the protagonists of the first part of the song. In the middle part, the electric guitar offers a distorted solo that takes the sound into more Heavy territory while still maintaining Jazz connotations. The bass and drumming in the finale take their well-deserved space for a technical and engaging duet that takes us to the finale. Rhythmic, upbeat melodies close to Jazz with influences from traditional music “Rhaiko” enhances the melodic interweavings between trumpet and piano in the first part. The guitar enters with a virtuoso solo in an intricate duet with the drums, then in the second part returns to the inizale theme that makes us want to dance. “North of the South” opens with hard guitar riffs that blend with the band’s jazzy melodies, which repurpose a fusion with traditional music. Woodwinds drive the sound, while keyboards and guitar weave in the background. Between tempo changes and references to Folklore in the melodies is another highly engaging track that takes us to Greece, a track with an original style. The fusion of traditional and Jazz Prog atmospheres reaches its peak in the final “Comfort Zone” a rhythmic yet melancholic track. In the first part horns and piano duet in a more Jazzy style, in the second part the guitar with its hard inserts gives a Heavy touch to the track, while the horns draw traditional melodies, another track with a unique style. A project that manages to create its own personal style by mixing Progressive markedly Jazz and melodies with references to Greek Folklore. A journey that starts from the most Prog sounds, passing through the various styles of Jazz and culminating in a mixture that incorporates traditional sounds reproposed in a personal key. Technique, elaborate and engaging rhythms, dynamic tracks that showcase all the qualities of this band that really impressed me. A recommended listen for lovers of the more Jazzy side of Prog, difficult to categorize as the band is adept at creating its own very original style.
Tracklist
01. Avoid The Void (06:25)
02. Minor Setback (06:06)
03. The Call (07:17)
04. Libation (05:36)
05. Phai (05:24)
06. Rhaiko (03:19)
07. North of the South (05:09)
08. Comfort Zone (04:33)
Lineup
Vasilis Nalmpantis / Trumpet and Vocals
Tomas Lukac / Electric Guitar and Vocals
Markus Oberleitner / Electric Bass and Vocals
Lajos Tóth / Piano, Rhodes, Organ and Vocals
Balázs Balogh / Drums and Vocals
Very nice review. Grazie Jacopo
…and very good album…Thanks