Dream Life is the potent follow-up to 1999's
Lines and Ballads, again featuring tenor saxophonist
Matt Renzi, drummer
Jimmy Weinstein, and bassist
Masa Kamaguchi. The trio returns with another charged and unusual assortment of tunes, beginning with an ethereal, pedal-point treatment of
Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation," the fast bop line becoming more of a pensive incantation in
Renzi's hands.
Coleman surfaces again with the hymn-like "All My Life" (with an extended
Kamaguchi intro), as well as the reprise of "Blues Connotation" that closes the record. Other highlights include
Tony Scott's rubato "Israel" (not to be confused with the well-known John Carisi tune), the
Denny Zeitlin gem "Quiet Now," and a roughened-up reading of
Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino."
Weinstein provides the one original, a bluesy free bop line that gives the album its title. (The comparatively dry sound of "If I Should Lose You" is explained by the fact that it's a home recording from a different day. Some may like it even better.) ~ David R. Adler