The New York quartet ContraPunctus eases into the third track on its 2026 self-titled debut with about 15 seconds of musical suggestion. Bassist Gui Duvignau and drummer Hamir Atwal respond to pianist Carmen Staaf’s gentle Fender Rhodes melody with a tempo that starts at a comfortable clip. Staaf eloquently establishes the melody in the next few seconds — Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” — that clarinetist Mike McGinnis picks up and continues. McGinnis and Staaf trade the tune’s theme as the quartet establishes an elastic, rollicking synergy.
This “Caravan” came about during a moment of collective improvisation the group made time for in the recording studio, summoning this restless and introspective version of a jazz standard…