Rent Romus takes on the technique of double-sax playing (first pioneered by Rahsaan Roland KIrk, later by David Jackson of Van Der Graaf Generator) on "travelers in the dust," something I always thought was pretty cool. Josh moves from vibes to trumpet on this one, absent of bass, with low percussion roiling beneath. Romus's tenor sax honking like an angry goose with Josh's horn interjecting its opinion sporadically as if to say, "No good can come of this." They do manage to collaborate on a theme eventually, but it takes time to get there, proving the trip is all about the journey, not the destination. Back to the keys, Cox makes a noble attempt to split himself in two with dueling electric piano and key bass and succeeds for the most part, urging the Romus sax and Kunkler drums to take some giant steps forward. It gets pretty frantic towards the middle, but Cox seems like he wants to slow it down. The rest aren't having it and Strange vibes keep looking for a place to park the car. Space seems to be at a premium though, so by the end, the vibes just push everyone out the door. Lastly, the title track puts the players in a bluesy mood, as bluesy as free jazz can get. It's Romus who comes up with a motif though, while Cox and Stange sus it out in their own fashion. Strange is so motivated that he pulls out his horn and riffs off the riffs Rent's been riffing without respite. That lasts a while but then it's back to the vibraphone for Josh. All's well, that ends well for Actual/Actual as they wrap it up in a neat, colorful package tied with a festive bow.

Although free jazz can often showcase virtuoso playing, I think more often than not it's about feeling, both what the players feel in relation to each other as well as how the audience feels about what they're hearing. As for me, I'm getting a really good feeling about Actual/Actual' with lots of talented and energetic playing, a strong sense of group dynamics, and knowing where to go with it.