Since his arrival in New York City back in the late '80s, jazz bassist
Scott Colley has risen through the ranks in rather expeditious fashion. As of early 2002, the artist has already appeared on over 100 albums, including sessions with saxophonists
Joe Lovano and
Greg Osby, pianist
Andrew Hill, and many others of note. With his third solo effort,
Colley garners the services of the monstrously talented drummer
Bill Stewart, while saxophonist
Ravi Coltrane and guitarist
Adam Rogers round out this superstar-like quartet. Unfortunately, the results prove to be somewhat mixed. The first three pieces are comprised of loosely organized funk and swaggering swing grooves amid a few uneventful extended-note choruses by
Coltrane, who performs on tenor and soprano saxophones throughout. In some instances, the saxophonist seems as though he is running on autopilot, while
Rogers offers some redemption thanks to a few superbly constructed electric guitar solos. The quartet's upbeat rendition of
Ornette Coleman's "Alpha" signifies a shift in strategy. Whereas the band revisits the loping pace witnessed earlier on the recording, during "Trouble in Paradise" the differentiator resides within
Coltrane and
Rogers' engagingly memorable unison lines.
Stewart kicks up a storm on "Barracuda"; however, three or four solid works cannot salvage the majority of this mildly disappointing effort -- especially when viewed in its entirety. ~ Glenn Astarita