With their participation in the Los Angeles sessions for Makaya McCraven’s Universal Beings, L.A. jazz/beat scene musicians Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson were already important participants in International Anthem’s extended community well before their first dedicated release for the label. Chicago Waves just made it official: originally performed in November 2018 as an opening set for a Jeremy Cunningham show at International Anthem’s HQ Co-Prosperity Sphere, this 44-minute one-take off-the-cuff show-stealer features drummer/soundscaper Niño and violinist/SFX helmsman Atwood-Ferguson sculpting a stunning blend of drone, ambient, and spiritual jazz that could technically be called “minimalist” if its mere presence didn’t feel so direct and enveloping, like a looming edifice of unmediated beauty that you could actually live in. It’s music as tactile embrace as much as it is an emotional meditation.

– Nate Patrin