Vintage Astronaut is a trio from Winston-Salem (ignore the album cover, or not). The band recorded all of its shows from a pre-COVID five-night residency, and it's in the process of releasing that music over four albums. This is set #2.

Vintage Astronaut Haircut: 2082 AD (Mr. Haircut Records)

Everything is improvised. The sounds are percussion, synth and bass. So imagine Trans Am as an improvisational jazz outfit . . . and you'd still be lost. Let's try that again. John Daniel Ray's bass connects the dots on these songs, and one would not be amiss in thinking of these pieces as improvisational jazz disco at times. Oh, Johnathan Collin Greene rarely lays down a simple up-down rhythm, but somehow the impression remains.

I don't know how much editing was done on these pieces, but I'm pretty sure there was some. Nonetheless, the band's exceptional rapport is clear from the start. All improvisations have themes, of course, but these three guys are able to turn on a dime and follow each other down some seriously twisty ideas.

At times, some of this gets pretty conceptual. Vintage Astronaut requires active listening. But there are plenty of goodies along the way. Rarely has a challenging album charmed so easily. I have a feeling that Vintage Astronaut is much more impressive live than in studio (this set certainly influences that thought), and so perhaps this sort of album is the next best thing. One of these days, the road will open up again. If Vintage Astronaut happens your way, do your best to drop by.

Jon Worley