Standing Circle // Standing Circle

Standing Circle approach jazz as a collective endeavor, with rhythm providing the meeting point. Led by Melbourne guitarist and kraartar player Lorenzo “Larry” Crestani, the ensemble’s self-titled debut brings spiritual jazz, funk, and African rhythmic influences into a compact set of compositions built to accommodate improvisation. Recorded live at The Grove with Nick Herrera, these eight tracks frame the band’s identity around the relationship between structure and spontaneity. The instrumentation gives that approach scope. Richard Rose’s electric bass and Sam Young’s drums supply the foundation, with Kahan Harper’s percussion adding another rhythmic voice. Hue Blanes contributes Fender Rhodes and synthesizers, while Crestani’s guitar and kraartar supply contrasting melodic textures. South African percussionist Gontse Makhene joins on “Liftoff” and “Talking Trees,” extending the ensemble’s rhythmic vocabulary without changing its configuration. At just over nine minutes, “Liftoff” occupies more than a quarter of the album, establishing an expansive scale that the shorter pieces counterbalance. “The Landing” and “The Seed” keep the sequence from becoming a succession of extended workouts. Elsewhere, “The Run Up” and “Chant for Now” introduce Sello Molefi, Corry Harper, and Jag Yien Thiang, whose gospel-inflected vocals broaden the record’s expressive range beyond its instrumental core. That balance gives Standing Circle a clear premise: compositions can retain their identity while leaving their shape open to the players. Released through La Sape Records, the debut presents a group whose musical backgrounds meet in shared rhythmic purpose, with ensemble interaction at the center of its conception and room for individual voices throughout.