Substantially longer than all the other tracks on Phalanx Ambassadors, the nearly 16-minute “Phasic Haze Ramps” looms as a kind of focal point for New York pianist/composer Matt Mitchell’s fourth outing for the Pi label. The three tracks that precede it, two of them under two minutes long, might be considered a kind of prelude, and the three that follow perhaps an elaboration, building to an intense and technically demanding finish. Mitchell, playing piano as well as synth and mellotron, builds layers upon layers of intricate rhythm and counterpoint in a dense, highly angular yet sometimes moody and dreamlike set of originals for quintet. Patricia Brennan pulls off impossible vibes and marimba parts, guitarist Miles Okazaki and bassist Kim Cass churn away, and drummer Kate Gentile hurtles toward chaos in every measure while still keeping it all tightly locked. Co-produced by Mitchell and David Torn, Phalanx Ambassadors finds the pianist at peak creativity and expression.