Where Avenging Angel opened our ears to Taborn's consummate abilities to compose and organize simultaneously without surrendering his creativity, Shadow Plays extends that by offering a profound sense of intimacy with instrument and audience. It delivers fantastical groups of ideas that flow without undue force or ego to become something that is at once wondrous and revelatory.

The adventures take many different forms. Taborn invariably makes pieces unfold without clear ‘sectional’ marking so that changes of atmosphere as well as structure can be disarming and exciting. There is a fluid quality to the material here as if a rhythmic line was a succession of waves rushing back and forth that blend into brilliantly distilled, pared-down motifs that have contrastingly rugged, physical timbres, like a rock emerging from water.

To hear Taborn in person is a riveting experience and, listening to the seven tracks on this new release, it’s easy to tap into the immediacy of his concert performances.