| Daniel Levin, Nate Wooley, Matt Moran & Joe Morris performing Eric Dolphy's Out To Lunch, Steve Lacy's Wickets, Ornette Coleman's Morning Song and compositions by Daniel Levin. It’s obvious this is not an ordinary jazz quartet. Paul Bley once suggested to me that “one of the ways to get out of a particular era of music that has us locked in is to change the instrumentation.” The traditional jazz ensemble is a functional balance of soloists and rhythm section. But if the instruments that establish the rhythmic foundation – especially the drums – are removed, then each remaining instrument is free to vary the timing, spacing, and emphasis within its own phrasing.... Altering the relationship between instruments forces closer attention to be paid to dynamics, pacing, sound placement, and group interaction. The almost telepathic level of empathy between the quartet members (“each joining a neighbor”) sustains the music’s creative tension, and defines its singular identity. – Art Lange |