Audiopile Review: Getting to this one a bit late due to issues sourcing Estonian jazz imprint RR Gems the past year, but we’ve got that all sorted finally. Coming in alongside a limited reissue of his breakthrough self-titled LP, RR Gems launches yet another new project from the NYC-based composer Brahja, EEG Coherence. The new(ish) ensemble actually has some crossover with one of Brajha’s other groups, Kadef, both of which feature the wildly talented and prolific Egyptian-Canadian experimental guitarist Sam Shalabi. Shalabi, who composed two of the five tracks here, is a sizeable presence, displaying the frenzied, freewheeling solos that have made his work in Land Of Kush, Shalabi Effect, and The Dwarfs Of East Agouza such a potent force in Canada’s experimental rock and jazz scenes over the past quarter century. Over the kinetic first half of the album, Shalabi interchanges his tightly wound playing between Brahja’s expressive and occasionally explosive saxophone solos, while the Ethiopique’d organ cycles and wordless vocals of Janice Lowe and Ala Dehghan edge the ensemble skyward. The flip side goes deeper into psycho-nautical excursions, Shalabi’s desert licks meld with Brahja’s carefully measured tone, eventually steering into Sun Ra outer-zonal freakout with an ecstatic exchange between organ and guitar that finally launches it all up to Saturn. Lovely package on this one, eye-popping jacket housed in a tip-on sleeve, pressed in an edition of 1000!

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