Guggenheim Fellowship and Doris Duke Artist Award recipient Myra Melford mesmerizes audiences by herself. Backed by the Fire & Water Quintet, which includes MacArthur Fellowship recipient Mary Halvorson on guitar, cellist Tomeka Reid, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Lesley Mok (all bandleaders themselves), the pianist’s music becomes part of the fabric of reality. With tunes inspired by the paintings of Cy Twombly, Melford and her all-stars envision free jazz as a composer’s medium, bringing visual art to life in a controlled flurry of improvisation (cf. their second LP Hear the Light Singing). Melford’s first Texas appearance arrives via the redoubtable Epistrophy Arts. – Michael Toland