Dust Devil in Bloomington, MN

The surprising part about this CD is that it is not more
avant-garde
, considering the musicians who are involved. Multi-reedist
Steve Adams
is one of the founders of
Rova
,
Bill Horvitz
has long been one of the most adventurous of
jazz
guitarists, and drummer
Joseph Sabella
has played with
Derek Bailey
John Zorn
, and
Vinny Golia
. As a trio, they perform fairly melodically on some of the eight originals (seven by
Horvitz
), building up their
improvisations
slowly and logically.
Ballads
(
"Dust Devil"
and the haunting
"Occurs to Me"
) alternate with more fiery
improvs
"Watch Your Back"
and the rockish
"Tic"
), with the catchy
"Guadeloupe"
being a highlight.
is such a complete player that one does not notice the lack of a bassist. The versatile
Adams
switches between his reeds, adding variety to the ensembles, while
Sabella
is very attentive, supportive, and stimulating. The musicians let the music breathe and the result is a superior disc well worth several listens. ~ Scott Yanow