'What We Don't See' by Fernando Brox

'What We Don’t See' serves as the latest project from flautist and composer Fernando Brox.

Born in Spain but now based in Switzerland, Brox follows up on last year's incredible release 'From Within' - his album released through the acclaimed Spanish label, Fresh Sound Records.  In the time that Brox has dedicated to jazz however, he has managed to amass an impressive array of releases dating back nearly ten years with projects that have demonstrated his proficiency as a key collaborator or as a bandleader in his own right.

Boasting a remarkable catalogue that has found him release projects including the sublime two-hander alongside pianist Javier Galiana ('Tonterías', 2021), projects as part of the Fernando Brox Quartet ('Broxila', 2020) and Fernando Brox Sexteto ('Factor Humano', 2020).  Further to helming his own celebrated releases, the flautist has provided stunning accompaniment to a lengthy list of artists including the Underpool Collective, Silver Geishas, Baz Trio and Juan Pablo Balcázar, naming just a few.

As a highly-decorated and highly-educated artist, Brox seems to thrive when it comes to introducing narratives into his work - the notion of using each new project as a blank canvas to create something entirely new is an attribute that many resonate with when it comes to regarding the wider tapestry of Brox's music to date.  A collage of sorts that takes shape through the litany of collaborators that Brox takes pride in making music with.

...Which is certainly the case for the latest release 'What We Don't See'.  Boasting elements of improvisation throughout his recordings, 'What We Don't See' was recorded in an afternoon at Basel's Jazz Campus Studios, a mere eleven months prior to the album's release.  Featuring the talents of pianist Lorenzo Vitolo, double-bassist Joan Codina and drummer Paulo Almeida, the album's thirteen tracks offer some delectable compositions that both challenge and inspire.

The ominous album intro 'Dark Matter' makes way for the brilliant urgency of 'XII' which is a dichotomy that is echoed throughout the album - compositions that are fuelled with vibrancy and ebullience are interspersed with a series of 'Background Radiation' interludes that bring it back to the album's foreboding tone... perhaps resonant of the world that moves beneath us (the world we don't see) in contrast to the more dynamic pieces that present the concept of the fast-paced nature of our everyday grind.

Fernando Brox presents fascinating and compelling concepts for the album's evocative title - a multi-layered concept that could find its inspiration in the music we're listening to, that we don't see made, or the very forces of our universe that provides the structure for our existence.  Brox's quartet highlights the importance of what we are not able to see and how it manages to keep everything together - concepts we almost take for granted as being infinite and habitual.  And the music is suitably reflective of these ideals capturing the essence of intimacy and grandeur at the same time.