Marty Ehrlich has long been one of the most versatile horn players in the avant-garde and post-bop jazz world. On this set,
Ehrlich mostly sticks to alto sax other than a few pieces on bass clarinet. None of his eight originals are destined to become standards for they lack memorable melodies, but they are effective at setting moods and challenging the players. The interplay between
Ehrlich and pianist
Craig Taborn is consistently impressive, and both bassist
Michael Formanek and drummer
Billy Drummond constantly react to
Taborn's ideas. The music is complex, but due to the close communication between the players the results are fairly accessible and often stimulating.