Opus 5's third studio album, 2014's
Progression, finds the Criss Cross label supergroup delivering more of their sophisticated post-bop sound. As on past albums,
Progression features the talents of saxophonist
Seamus Blake, trumpeter
Alex Sipiagin, pianist
David Kikoski, bassist
Boris Kozlov, and drummer
Donald Edwards. A collaborative ensemble, each member of
Opus 5 contributes an arrangement here which helps raise the bar from a simple blowing session to a distinct, group-oriented aesthetic, which is not to say there isn't a fair share of harmonically advanced, intensely swinging playing on display. On the contrary, cuts like the lithe album-opener "Snow Bird," the lilting, 3/4 number "Fear of Roaming," and the soulful swing-funk track "Walk a Waltz," are urbane, highly engaging numbers that bring to mind '70s-era
Woody Shaw and
Joe Henderson. Much more than a label-based ensemble,
Opus 5 are one of the best contemporary post-bop groups of their time and
Progression is simply further evidence of that conclusion. ~ Matt Collar