JAZZ TIMES:
The continual intrigue of creative improvisation is the nature of the combination of instruments which the musicians choose. In Macroscopia , the quartet exists without a drummer. Tom Zlabinger plays bass; Daniel Carter, the trumpet and reeds; Ken Silverman, the guitar, oud and hand percussion, and Claire DeBrunner, the bassoon. Out of the instrumentation comes a striking monotone that flows seamlessly through seven tracks. The ensemble keeps their sound close and controlled; the interaction is mild and unpretentious.

Particularly because of the bassoon, the album assumes the role of a story-telling device, perhaps of silky un-tumultuous movement of weather or of the ocean. It is through the tone and color of this double-reed instrument that the idea of character is built, in contrast to the tight fingering of the guitar or oud, the sad song of a muted trumpet or the elongated notes of the sax, the hiss or metal ticking of handheld percussion instruments or the tempo-seeking of the bass.

With the saxophone, as well, Carter provides a reed counterpoint to the bassoon. The sax sets itself up as the bassoon's alter ego. Carter creates tender moments that are highlighted with the high pitches of the guitar strings or the brightness of the background percussiveness.

The fourteen minute “Dumbo Twilight” sets a lengthy example for the instrumental explorations that fluidly build up and let go. The trumpet, sax and bassoon exchange places of importance. In actuality, the difference is in the pace at which each is traveling. The bassoon bends into ornamentation and the trumpet steps straightforwardly or the sax stretches notes on its own for awhile. The bass and guitar intertwine their pizzicato moments to support the bassoon, sax and trumpet with delightful ease by just putting themselves in the right place.
Lyn Horton

ALL ABOUT JAZZ NY:
Macroscopia is a leaderless outing made up of Carter, Ken Silverman, Claire DeBrunner and Tom Zlabinger. All seven tracks seem to begin en medias res, a series of free improvisations with a chamber feel that ebb and flow but never resolve themselves.

Zlabinger's bass is mic'd nice and close, a hypnotic and integral part of the group's sound; one doesn't miss the drums in the least. DeBrunner's bassoon is an unlikely ingredient that works exceptionally well, easily mistaken for a saxophone or bass clarinet. Silverman's oud strumming is highly unconventional, almost abrasive, stuttering and his guitar is much given over to subtle tremolos and other distortions. Carter's trumpet and saxes float throughout the mix at various levels of audition, as if reluctant to show himself too soon. It's hard to focus on any one player for very long and, to be honest, Macroscopia doesn't sound like much of anything on first listen.

Repeated spins reveal the folly and one begins to appreciate the subtlety and brilliance of this work. It resembles nothing so much as Out to Lunch - that is, if all five of Eric Dolphy's compositions were layered on top one another, like a word scribbled ad infinitum until only an abstract blot remains. This is an album about texture, how instruments-as-chemicals interact with one another to form new substances. If listeners are reluctant to name it one of 2010's best releases, one must admit that it is one of the most intriguing.
Seth Watter

DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY, NY CITY
We all know Daniel 'have horn, will play' Carter from the many bands & situations that he continually shows up in. I know of bassist Tom Zlabinger from his work for the Vision Fest folks as well as our interesting discussions here in the store. I recognize Ken Silverman as a longtime customer of DMG's but didn't know he was a musician until he dropped off this disc.

For the 'Opening', Tom keeps up a strong central bass groove while acoustic guitar, bassoon & muted trumpet slowly swirl together. As a big fan of the bassoon, it sounds great to hear someone soloing at the center of this unique quartet. Like Henry Cow's Lindsay Cooper, another great bassoonist, deBrunner keeps that bassoon overflowing with ideas, an ongoing dialogue with the other members of this quartet. Since there is no drummer, Tom's contrabass often holds down the central rhythm. Daniel Carter, who is a member of Test, can wail with the best of downtown free/jazz giants, while here he lays back and plays more somber and with often restrained elegance. Mr. Silverman switches between acoustic & electric guitar yet also keeps his ideas flowing at a more laid back level, occasionally reminding me of Paul Dunmall's ace collaborator Philip Gibbs. Daniel Carter plays more trumpet than usual, occasionally muting his horn with a more relaxed & reflective vibe. This music is often dream-like with consistently tight interaction between all four members, sometimes simmering way below the boiling level.
Bruce Lee Gallanter

ALL ABOUT JAZZ.COM:
The theme of Macroscopia is the universality of music, expressed as group improvisation by four superlative musicians. The quartet includes classically trained bassoonist Claire DeBrunner, an alumna of the Lennie Tristano school of free jazz via her mentors Lee Konitz and Connie Crothers}}; guitarist/percussionist Ken Silverman, who is heavily influenced by world music; reedman and trumpeter Daniel Carter , a veteran of the avant-garde bands of Cecil Taylor and David S Ware ; and ethnomusicologist/bassist Tom Zlabiger .

The disc starts with the "Opening," an introductory piece where Carter's muted trumpet, DeBrunner's heavy bassoon and Silverman's ethereal oud float. Silverman's Spanish-sounding guitar and Zlabinger's thumping bass set the rhythmic tone of "Mysterious Breath" a piece, characterized by the deeply mystical and brooding conversation between DeBrunner and Carter (on clarinet).

The jazzy guitar solo on "Dumbo Twilight" creates the mood that is enhanced by DeBrunner's sound—which resembles an avant-garde baritone saxophone—and Carter's bluesy trumpet, all anchored by Zlabinger's pizzicato bass lines. The piece does meander a bit near its end, as the momentum slacks slightly. Repetitiveness also plagues the latter part of the otherwise intelligent tenor and bassoon duet, "Life Rattle," which features Silverman's percussion and guitar enhancing the dialogue, as well as the folk ballad-like "Totem Dance," which starts with Silverman's percussive oud work; the subsequent trumpet, tenor sax and bassoon improvisations are punctuated by the Arabian lute's mournful solo.

The two shorter tracks—"Riff Tide" and "To Move As A Shadow"—are dark and Cinematic, with bassoon, tenor sax (on the former), trumpet (on the latter), and guitar echo each other over Zlabinger's atmospheric repetitive vamps. Despite occasionally flirting with monotony this is a thought-provoking work of powerful improvisation that draws on various influences to create a unique entity.
Hrayr Attarian

FREE JAZZ-STEF:
We find Daniel Carter back in a totally different environment with Claire DeBrunner on bassoon, Ken Silverman on guitar, and Tom Zlabinger on bass. Carter uses some small percussion to emphasise rhythms once in a while. The sound of the bassoon is possibly the most determining for the overall sound, yet it must be said that Silverman's unconventional guitar-playing and Zlabinger's often hypnotic bass playing are really good.

All the pieces have a great sense of pulse and forward movement, with sounds interweaving freely, leading to sometimes beautiful and fragile soundscapes, sometimes haunting like "Dumbo Twilight", sometimes more explicitly rhythmic like "Riff Tide", sometimes more abstract such as "Life Rattle".

The music is hard to qualify. It is jazz in a way, but it's equally open to new music and modern classical. I did not know DeBrunner, but the way she uses her bassoon in a context like this is of course highly unusual, yet at the same time a kind of revelation. True, I recently also reviewed albums with Sara Schoenbeck and Katherine Young on bassoon, yet there is a difference in approach.

Totally different than "The Perfect Blue", the album is equally rewarding, for its openness, subtlety and adventurous lyricism. Again a great demonstration of Carter's versatility. His home is where true emotions can be expressed, regardless of style or genre.

If there's a downside to the album, then it's the fade-outs, which - as regular readers know - I really hate: why stop great music in mid-action? Would anyone watching a soccer game or a basket-ball match be pleased when the last ten minutes were never shown? Same with music, I think.
Stef

TOMAJAZZ (Portugal):
Chamber music sounds with an enigmatic character and tempo are amongst the features of the improvisational spontaneous music created by the quartet of Claire de Brunner (bassoon), the veteran trumpeter, saxophonist and clarinetist Daniel Carter, guitarist Ken Silverman and bassist Tom Zlabinger. The various combinations of two wind instruments (the very unusual alternating combinations of trumpet, bassoon, clarinet and saxophone) and two strings (bass and guitar - Ken Silverman alternating guitar also with hand percussion) are used to create some unusual textures.

In the absence of drums, bassist Tom Zlabinger is responsible for raising the rhythmic backbone along most of the songs included on the recording. Over this substructure Claire de Brunner, Daniel Carter and Ken Silverman weave their improvisations. While at some points these consist of improvised melodic lines weaving their work around the bass, sometimes as in "Totem Dance" the guitarist and saxophonist and bassoonist soloists alternate their work with the components of the rhythm section.

Although the title might suggest the appreciation and enjoyment of the work in general (large-scale, Macroscopy ), it is also a pleasure to focus on the delight of the little details ( Microscopy ).
Pachi Tapiz

MIDWEST RECORD:
Chamber jazz that lies to the left of classic left leaning ECM and free jazz.  Exploring the sound of sound as well as the texture of sound, this is head music for the open eared looking for music that takes them within without it being new age.  Certain discerning listeners will get it right away, but you have to have your ears cocked toward arts council music to really get it.
Chris Spector