Pianist Myra Melford premiered this lineup on Snowy Egret in 2015. In light of the compelling results, she returns to it on The Other Side of Air, which, like its predecessor, consists of 10 new compositions. Her piano sound is strikingly pure, her playing refined, her harmonic language more searching than ever. The urgent propulsion and darting melodic lines of “Motion Stop Frame” set an energetic tone from the start (not unlike “Language” from the first album). Drummer Tyshawn Sorey brings a strong beat and subtle, multihued textures, while Liberty Ellman and Stomu Takeishi (both veterans of Henry Threadgill’s Zooid) create a rich matrix on guitar and acoustic bass guitar, respectively. Together with Ron Miles on cornet, the group executes tough, intersecting parts and stirring collective improv in a seamless continuum. The moods range from rancorous and unsettled to lyrical and meditative, sometimes within the same piece—the radical transitions that occur within “Attic” and “Living Music” are cases in point.