Lush landscapes, majestic motifs, shifting strings

The ensemble is consistently excellent, and the musicians switch into jazzy and bluegrass passages without any Symphony Hall stiffness. The San Francisco label, Reference, has captured a clear sound in Worcester’s famous Mechanics Hall. At times the miking is a bit too close for comfort. DAVID PERKINS

NOW ENSEMBLE: “AWAKE’’

(New Amsterdam)

It’s been a long time since a new piece grabbed my attention as immediately and held it as tightly as Judd Greenstein’s “Change.’’ This kaleidoscopic chamber work leads off “Awake,’’ a new CD by Now Ensemble, a crack new-music ensemble of which Greenstein is a cofounder. “Change’’ begins with a jumpy motif, reminiscent of early minimalism, which rotates through winds and piano. That music quickly grows in color and complexity, but shades of that opening motif pop up throughout the piece.

Some of its best moments involve Greenstein’s powerful, groove-based writing for piano and guitar; over a repeating chord pattern he spins melodies that have an almost improvisatory sense of freedom. In those moments you could imagine the music jamming out for much longer than the work’s 13 ½ minutes.

Five more compositions are on “Awake,’’ and though none is as exciting as “Change,’’ they all make for involving listening. Both Sean Friar’s “Velvet Hammer’’ and Mizzy Mazzoli’s “Magic With Everyday Objects’’ veer precipitously between gentle melody and bursts of distorted guitar. “Burst’’ by Mark Dancigers (Now Ensemble’s guitarist) has a playful sense of swing, while David Crowell’s “Waiting in the Rain for Snow’’ is notable for its crystalline sonic beauty.

The title track, “Awake,’’ is a poignant, slowly unfurling work by Patrick Burke, another Now cofounder.

It’s tough to shoehorn the music on “Awake’’ into traditional categories, but it doesn’t matter: Here is an album that offers a lot of engaging new music, as well as one piece I am sorely tempted to call a masterpiece.

DAVID WEININGER