Journalist-coined terms like “nu-jazz” and “baroque pop” aren’t always as descriptive as they aim to be, but in the case of composer/guitarist Jason Seed’s Elixir Ensemble, listeners would be hard-pressed to come up with a better one. As a onetime resident of Milwaukee, Seed is remembered as a jazz musician for his memorable eastside gigs at the Estate. Nevertheless, his jazz-inflected chamber music has used former residence in Austin and Chicago to expand its original niche audience. Hints of bluegrass, Kodaly sonatas and European folk waft by individually, together, and (sometimes) against one another in a loose unison that has yet to be recorded in album form.
