Introspection can be born from any number of events. Losing a valued mentor is a moment that would give anyone pause. Esthesis Quartet members Dawn Clement and Elsa Nilsson searched deep inside to come to terms with the loss of their mentor, Ron Miles. Along with bandmates Emma Dayhuff and Tina Raymond, the quartet creates a program of music inspired by self-reflection, contemplation and self-discovery on their new album, Sound & Fury, that features the fantastic Bill Frisell on guitar.

The four musicians of Esthesis Quartet met through happenstance. Clement was first introduced to Swedish flutist Elsa Nilsson when Nilsson came to study with Clement at Cornish College in Seattle. Later, Clement crossed paths with the Los Angeles based drummer Raymond at the Reno Jazz Festival and Raymond met the Chicago-based Dayhuff when the bassist visited Los Angeles as an accompanying musician for an improvising dance troupe and sat in at a local jam session.

Esthesis Quartet received a Chamber Music America Performance Plus grant to record this project and had initially intended Miles to be part of it. Due to his illness, Miles could not participate and suggested Bill Frisell to fill the role. After Miles’s passing, the members of the Quartet began to develop their pieces with Frisell in mind as an additional voice and soloist.