Louis Siciliano isn’t holding back with the song “Ancient Cosmic Truth,” the staple song of his new EP of the same title, but if you think his moxie is going to be isolated to this one track, you’re in for quite the surprise when listening to this incredible new record. So many of the crossover jazz/experimental works I’ve reviewed in 2023 have fallen back on retro themes as a means of bridging aesthetical gaps and appealing to a more chamber-minded generation, but that isn’t the case in Ancient Cosmic Truth.

Siciliano isn’t looking to take the route of his rivals in this work; he’s cutting away the throwback influences and getting to the core elements that make his approach such a profound point of interest no matter what kind of song he’s playing. There are many virtuosic instrumental components here, but there isn’t a sense of arrogance that would normally accompany a player with the kind of talent this man has – it’s just a performer beside his band doing the work of the divines, and potentially raising the profile of a frontman in Siciliano who needs to be getting a lot more attention than he ever has before.

“Translucent Dodecahedron” is probably my favorite track here as a man who loves the sax, and as adverse as I tend to be about wily rhythm tracks as eclectic as it is, this one that I couldn’t help but fall in love with the first time I listened to it over the past weekend.

Siciliano isn’t just attacking the melody with his compositional strength; he’s putting soul into it with the chemistry he has with Brecker, Muselli, and Roman. “The Secret of Mansa” showcases a lot of the same punch that we hear in the other songs, but with a slightly avant-garde bottom-end, as if to give us a hint of what the artsy vibe can produce when it’s channeled towards a climax. My man has got so much presence in this record, and I’m very curious to hear how it plays out in person for myself.

There aren’t many who can rock the big rhythm he does in “The Secret of Mansa,” and I’m seriously jealous of those who got to see this firsthand in the studio.

Whether it be the ramshackle grooving of “Bambara’s Symmetries” or the elegance of the title track, you can be certain that Louis Siciliano has got something moving to present to you this autumn through his new EP Ancient Cosmic Truth.

He’s got a lot of buzz surrounding his career at the moment largely thanks to positive critical reception from the international jazz underground, but I don’t see where he couldn’t break out of the indie circuit for the mainstream so long as he continues to break off incredible content like Ancient Cosmic Truth. It’s a timeless kind of record and one that makes sure to leave a mark on anyone who listens to it, but especially those who consider themselves as much of an enthusiast of excellent, left-field jazz music.

Sebastian Cole