Tenor Tantrums

A three-year project comes to fruition for drummer/composer George Schuller, and he brings his bassist brother Ed and saxophonists Tony Malaby and George Garzone along for the ride. Of the seven of nine pieces the drummer wrote for this recording, many fall into a swinging free bop context allowing the tenor tantrums to exhaust themselves. Malaby and Garzone are quite expressive players, joining in lots of unison lines, occasionally going out, but mostly keeping within the written framework. At their most quick-witted, the quartet jump-starts a popping melody for "The Symptoms," minus Garzone plus trumpeter Dave Ballou, while both tenors really dig in on the hard-swinging, head-noddin' "No Hazmats," interrupted by a fine bass solo from Ed Schuller. The 12/8 groove with contrapuntally delayed melodies on "Slightly Round" and the beautiful unison of Malaby's soprano sax and Garzone's tenor on "Boogie Two Shoes" with an R&B ostinato bassline show the drummer at his compositional best. A bluesy thang, "URWUP" (i.e., "U R What U Play) is more sneaky, the drummer on brushes with Malaby on soprano. "Nameless" is at once mournful and reverent with bass and tenor tandem notes and free clarion calls. The title track is a snarly collective improvisation with hard swing inferences by the drummer, while Ornette Coleman's "Free," with Ballou, and a time-shifting (five to 15 to four beats per measure) "Loose Bloose" by Bill Evans, with Malaby again on soprano, give the arranger Schuller something to adapt and make his own. There is some exceptional music here for those open-minded to various combinations of jazz tradition and new music innovation. There's some chaotic baby screaming, but the tantrums, as mentioned, do step aside for some meaty on-the-table playing, with all involved offering their fair share of excellence. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi