Balancing avant-garde improvisational passages between a film score-esque sound, the 7/4 drama of the introduction to ‘Redeye Reprisal’ shows us what to expect from the rest of the track, and the entirety of Ronin Arkestra’s upcoming 4-track EP. This dramatic head section eventually fades into solo sections that allow members of Kyoto Jazz Sextet, WONK, Cr-Magnon, Root Soul, Sleepwalker, Sauce81 and Kyoto Jazz Massive to show off their own individual talents. Highlights come in the form of Mark de Clive-Lowe’s gentle electric piano chords, which manage to stay restrained and funky throughout, even during the magnificent, extended solo from drummer Hikaru Arata. As the dramatic head section returns to play the piece out, it proves why exciting jazz fusion groups like Ronin Arkestra are gaining so much traction recently. -Dan Peeke