Listen to the Band in Bloomington, MN

The title of
Evans
' fourth
Criss Cross
album conveys his excitement over a new, steady trio configuration, with
Reid Anderson
on bass and
Nasheet Waits
on drums. Joining the pianist and his trio on many of the cuts are trumpeter
Duane Eubanks
, soprano saxophonist
Sam Newsome
, and tenor/alto man
Ralph Bowen
. This group seems to push
into freer, more rhythmically adventurous territory, particularly on a strikingly abstract rendition of
"I Want to Be Happy"
and on
Eubanks
'
"Diva Black,"
which goes through a series of stirring tempo and feel changes. Most of the remaining material is quite good but not as unusual. One of
' frequent colleagues, bassist
Darryl Hall
, contributes the wonderful,
Wayne Shorter
-esque
"In His Place,"
while
Anderson
, one of the best emerging composers in
jazz
, rounds out the program with the enigmatic
ballad
"Forgiven."
also waxes meditative with a solo piano rendition of
"There Is a Quiet Place."
The three
originals are
"Dorm Life,"
a cut first heard on his 1997 debut
Justin Time
, along with
"For Miles"
and the rather stunning
"Mat-Matt"
-- named for his two young sons. There's plenty of substance to these pieces, but one should also turn to
' independently released
Seed
for a more complete picture of his compositional ability. All in all, however, there's superior playing from all involved, and an animating vision that makes
Listen to the Band
a significant step in
' career. ~ David R. Adler