Howl

There is no serious shortage of saxophone records, but precious few of them are about the saxophone in quite the way that James Romain’s Howl is. It is not simply virtuosic, although Romain displays a full command of the instrument. It is not simply textural, although the pristine recording combined with the different settings and even digital manipulation create other-worldly soundspaces. At the heart of the album are the connections Romain has made with the composers whose work is represented here.