Book of Dreams

“Wedding Song”

(Newvelle Records)

While working on other projects, saxophonist and composer Patrick Zimmerli would often find songs coming to him unbidden, sometimes waking him from his sleep and begging for him to jot them down. Thus comes much of the material on Zimmerli’s season five Newvelle release, Book of Dreams, sourced from compositions the New York native had filed away during a period of about 20 years. The saxophonist teams up with pianist Kevin Hays, a longtime confederate with whom he shares a similar career trajectory, and drummer Satoshi Takeishi. The trio dips into a couple of standards (“Insensatez,” “Fly Me to the Moon”), but for the most part plays the music that sprung from Zimmerli’s unconscious. One of those tracks, “Wedding Song,” evokes a fast-moving folk dance performed at a joyous wedding party, perhaps taking place in Eastern Europe or South America. The tune begins with polyrhythmic handclaps then gives way to the whirl of piano, soprano sax and drums engaged in frenzied merry-making. After a quiet interlude that never loses the festive spirit, the song builds back up to an incantatory pitch before winding down like a weary wedding guest dropping into a chair when the band goes on break.