The opening number on this intriguing set, "Texas," and almost sounds like a tribute to
Eric Dolphy, with
Marty Ehrlich and
Ben Goldberg both on bass clarinets battling it out for a time. However,
Dolphy's influence on the two reed players (who double on clarinet) is much less than one would expect. Much of the music could be considered "freebop," with a pulse generated by bassist
Trevor Dunn often serving as the main foundation for the pieces.
Dunn is a powerful and sometimes thunderous player who is also expert at using space in the pianoless quartet. While drummer
Kenny Wollesen plays quietly and with subtlety, the focus is mostly on the co-leaders.
Ehrlich and
Goldberg contributed four originals apiece, all but
Wayne Horvitz's "Ask Me Later." The music covers a wide variety of moods, is sometimes melancholy (as on "What I Lost") and at other times heated. Highlights include
Ehrlich's haunting "Twos" (the most memorable melody on the date), the unaccompanied bass clarinet duet on "April 4," and the surprisingly upbeat "Hopeless." This date mixes improvising with inventive arrangements and is well worth hearing several times, since a lot of creative ideas are expressed throughout the session. ~ Scott Yanow