A collaboration between saxophonist/clarinetist
John Ellis and playwright
Andy Bragen, 2020's
The Ice Siren is a spooky and surreal cinematic "jazz opera." An hour-long piece, the album showcases
Ellis' classical-influenced arrangements and
Bragen's fantastical libretto about a man mourning his lost love, a ghost named Melusina. Borne out of
Ellis and
Bragen's previous Dreamscapes poetry and jazz project, and originally staged at New Yorks' Jazz Gallery in 2009,
The Ice Siren finds the duo expanding the scope of their partnership, crafting a narrative structure that pairs the quirky, horror-movie aesthetic of
Tim Burton and composer
Danny Elfman with the eerie storytelling tradition of
Edgar Allan Poe. Giving voice to the characters of the man and Melusina are singers
Miles Griffith and
Gretchen Parlato, both of whom bring a nuanced believability, not to mention virtuosity, to their roles. Joining them are a cadre of equally talented musicians, including guitarist
Mike Moreno, tuba player
Marcus Rojas, vibraphonist
Chris Dingman, percussionists
Daniel Sadownick and
Daniel Freedman, string players
Hiroko Taguchi,
Olivier Manchon,
Todd Low, and
Christopher Hoffman, and conductor
JC Sanford. There is an achingly doomed and romantic quality to much of
The Ice Siren, with songs like "Heaven or Hell" and "Melusina's Siren Song" detailing the yearning sadness that connects the man and his dead lover.
Ellis illuminates this sadness with shimmering string sections and surprising moments of clashing dissonant anger. That said, there is also an underlying dark sense of humor running through the album. For example, when the man finally comes face-to-face with Melusina, they engage in a
Mel Brooksian conversation over whether he really loves her, harmonizing back and forth, "Are you sure?" I'm sure." "You're, suuuuure?" "I'm suuuuuuuuuure!" This might seem too farcical were it not for
Ellis' deeply textured and harmonically edgy arrangements, which bring to mind the '70s ECM work of singer
Norma Winstone and trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler.
Griffith and
Parlato's atonal duets on "She Shows Her Face" and the album-ending "Entombed in Ice" are especially impressive. Elsewhere,
Ellis and
Bragen fill their production with Eastern European folk melodies,
Kurt Weill cabaret stylings, and flowing post-bop improvisation, all of which help bring their haunting tale vividly to life.