Devils Gate Outfit: When the Rivers Run Red (digital outlets)

Recorded live at Wellington's Meow, the Devils Gate Outfit is akin to a supergroup of this country's free improvisation artists.

Here are the Donaldsons Anthony (drums) and David (bass banjo, percussion) who were in the Braille collective in the early-to-mid 1980s; multi-instrumentalist Daniel Beban (who documented Braille and the Primitive Art Group in his excellent Future Jaw Clap overview last year); Braille fellow-travellers Steve Roche of Six Volts on cornet and euphonium, and more contemporary names: vibes player Cory Champion (Clear Path Ensemble) and saxophonist Blair Latham (various groups and guest appearances).

With that much experience, these six pieces bristle with energy and an intuitive collectivism which roams freely from ensemble playing to post-bop or idiosyncratic soloing on material weaving from a half-cut Salvation Army Band sound (Wirayudha) and dark percussive exotica (Rivers of Blood) to something like thundering Afrobeat rhythms with Latin trumpet and razor-wire electric guitar (Chico's Cow).

Their previous album in the Jazz From the Underground Nightclubs of Aotearoa series was a finalist for jazz album of the year in the 2022 music awards.

Even against the tough competition out there you'd have to think When the Rivers Run Red is also a contender this year.

.

You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here