Almost immediately after the release of the Awakening Orchestra’s 2014 Innova debut (volume i: this is not the answer. – “a unique and masterful work,” Cadence), composer and bandleader Kyle Saulnier began writing what would become its ambitious follow-up, volume ii: to call her to a higher plain. The orchestra premiered new material in concert throughout 2016, as the fateful election season unfolded. The last of three premiere performances took place just three days after the November election, a moment of dread and foreboding, of fears that quickly proved entirely warranted. Like volume i, volume ii was conceived as a protest epic, highly ambitious in scope, with two longform works as its centerpieces. The turbulent, insistent rhythms, advanced harmonic language and formal architecture, deep melodic sensibility and all-around brilliant execution on the part of the Awakening Orchestra’s sought-after members make volume ii: to call her to a higher plain a signal achievement and a testament to the beauty that is possible even in the most troubled times. The band’s collective amassed power, intricate sectional give-and-take and fiercely individualistic solo contributions speak with a clarion truth, making the case for the Awakening Orchestra as one of the current jazz scene’s most consequential large ensembles. (-David Adler)