DESCENDED | BOSTON GLOBE

"Percussionist Maria Finkelmeier is one of the city’s most creative and entrepreneurial musicians. Still, I was unprepared for the sheer weirdness of “Descended” (Bright Shiny Things), her collaboration with trumpeter Jean Laurenz centered on Lafcadio Hearn, a 19th-century eccentric known for his documentation of Japanese ghost stories. (He’s also Laurenz’s great-great-grand uncle). Finkelmeier and Laurenz create an eerie musical backdrop to explore Hearn’s world, complete with recitations from his writings. It’s ethereal, strange, and hard to get out of your head once you hear it."