Domino Ensemble is a band with a focus on creating new music that values free-form aesthetics and creative thinking.

In fact, a lot of the band’s material is based on pure improvisation. The Ensemble’s work is all about each individual musician, but rather the sum of its part. What I mean by that is that these artists aren’t performing in a selfish way, but rather they see a higher musical purpose. In addition to improvising, they also workshop songs and compositions from student composers, allowing young creatives to voice their artistry and reach a broader audience with their work.

The band’s most recent EP is aptly titled Goes Free, highlighting the spontaneity and honest vibe of the band’s recording. The first track is a touching song titled “Just So in the North,” which is extremely diverse and impactful, revealing the proficiency of these musicians over the span of roughly 8 minutes.

The second track is titled “Le Vieux Garçon (The Old Boy), and it serves as another fantastic example of the group’s artistry, and ability to set the bar higher with so much balance. The following number, “Jan” clocks in at slightly over the 5-minute mark, being the shortest song on the EP. In spite of that, it still packs a lot of creativity and punch, highlighting the proficiency of these amazing musicians.

Finally, the record comes to a close with “La Lousianaise,” a fantastic track with a bit of a New Orleans flair to it.

This EP is incredibly well-produced, revealing the band’s ability to perform unrestrained, but without falling into the trap of self-indulgence, which at times seems to plague some improvisational artists. What I mean is that sometimes, artists seem to play for the sake of showing off rather than to serve the composition, but this is definitely not the case here, as Goes Free is a testament to the band’s focus on achieving unity and create a really good experience for the audience, serving the music as opposed to only serving themselves.

Cullen Burke (synth)

Hunter Deacon (drums)

Matt Nelson (double bass)

Jorge Variego (saxophones)

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