The members of
Collective Identity offer a provocative update on the four-horn format employed by the World Saxophone Quartet. Comprised of
Alex Harding on baritone, Aaron Stewart on tenor, Jorge Sylvester on alto, and
Sam Newsome on soprano, the group brings forth full-bodied harmonies, implied grooves, and jagged counterpoint, creating refreshingly unpredictable music in the process.
A subtle undertone of race politics is first established by Newsome's "The World According to Shaquana Lee-Maria Goldstein," an extended meditation on hybrid racial identity. The theme of race is later reintroduced by
Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti," the one non-original of the date. With a touch of straight-faced gallows humor, the group credits "New York composer Amadou Diallo" for the haunting arrangement.
Harding's "The Mass" and Stewart's "Young Lions in the Meat Market" make for the album's most challenging listening. These dissonant, free-form statements feature alternating solos and/or soliloquies from each of the members and often veer into cacophony. Harding even sprinkles his baritone solo on "The Mass" with verbal shouts. In contrast, Newsome's "Shaquana Goldstein," Sylvester's "Remembranza," and Harding's gospel-tinged "Spirit Take My Hand" have a more structured rhythmic and melodic foundation and even some groovy baritone basslines.
These four players are at once strong soloists and selfless ensemble members, and their experiences with the likes of David Murray,
Julius Hemphill,
Marty Ehrlich,
Andrew Hill, and
Muhal Richard Abrams make them astute exponents of this very fruitful stream of avant-garde jazz. ~ David R. Adler