In Brief

* * 8 Bold Souls, “Sideshow.” Arabesque Jazz. Chicago’s Edward Wilkerson Jr. is a bright young jazz experimentalist, but this album by his octet goes overboard on funereal compositions. Such instruments as trombone, cello and tuba give this talented unit a bass-heavy sound that saxophonist Wilkerson skillfully orchestrates, but five lengthy pieces full of introspective musings leave “Sideshow” unbalanced. It lacks the vibrant, swinging side this band has displayed in the past.