Jeremy Cunningham / Dustin Laurenzi / Paul Bryan - A Better Ghost - Bullion Vinyl

As the opening track of drummer Jeremy Cunningham, saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi, and bassist Paul Bryan's A Better Ghost swoons toward its close, a vocal clip of the colossus Sonny Rollins rises over the trio's warm sonics to deliver a message, "my greatest joy is everything." This sample, found and cut by Laurenzi, became a staple of live, improvised sets between him and Cunningham in Chicago. It not only opens the album but captures an early spark of magnificence from a musical and personal connection that sparks the entirety of the album's meticulous, soulful, hypnotic, and joyous sound.

A Better Ghost showcases a balance between free improvisation and a more produced side that has been woven together through personal connection - Cunningham, Laurenzi, and Bryan have found in each other natural muses, working with and off of each other to build musical wonders.