FEATURING LOUIE BELOGENIS ON TENOR SAX, KARL BERGER ON VIBES & PIANO, MICHAEL BISIO ON BASS AND WARREN SMITH ON DRUMS. OLD DOG? I AM NOT SO SURE ABOUT THAT SINCE ONLY TWO OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS QUARTET ARE OLDER MEMBERS OF THE AVANT JAZZ SCENE ONCE AND STILL BASED IN NEW YORK. PERCUSSIONIST WARREN SMITH HAS BEEN PLAYING LIVE AND RECORDING ON HUNDREDS OF SESSIONS SINCE THE MID-SIXTIES, FROM JAZZ, CLASSICAL, FOLK, ROCK AND MORE. KARL BERGER IS LEGENDARY MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, COLLABORATOR, TEACHER AND FOUNDER OF THE CREATIVE MUSIC SCHOOL IN THE WOODSTOCK AREA IN THE SEVENTIES. ALTHOUGH A GENERATION OR SO YOUNGER, LOUIE BELOGENIS, HAS BEEN PLAYING POWERFUL TENOR SAX WITH RASHIED ALI, JOHN ZORN, BORAH BERGMAN AND LEADING A NUMBER OF FINE BANDS OF HIS OWN. FORMERLY OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, MICHAEL BISIO HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BISI-EST BASSISTS SINCE MOVING HERE A FEW YEARS BACK. HE CERTAINLY IS A LEADER OF THIS GREAT QUARTET SINCE HE WROTE FIVE OF THEIR NINE PIECES.

THIS IS A STUDIO DATE AND THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES ME IS THE WAY IT WAS RECORED WITH THE DYNAMIC BALANCE JUST RIGHT. THERE TWO VERSIONS OF THE TITLE TRACK, A TRIO VERSION AT THE BEGINNING AND A QUARTET VERSION AT THE END. BISIO'S NIMBLE BASS IS AT THE CENTER WITH WARREN PLAYING SOME SUBLIME BRUSHES. IT IS THE GORGEOUS, SPIRITUAL TONE OF LOUIE'S TENOR TRULY REACHES FOR THE HEART, STIRRING OUR EMOTIONS DELIGHTFULLY. THE OTHER FOUR OF THESE PIECES ARE GROUPS IMPROVS AND EVEN THEY ARE SPECIAL AND SPIRITED. KARL BERGER USED TO WORK WITH THE GREAT DAVE HOLLAND IN THE SEVENTIES AND HAS FOUND A FINE MATCH WITH BISIO'S EQUALLY STRONG ACOUSTIC BASS. THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN KARL'S PIANO OR VIBES AND LOUIE'S TENOR IS CONSISTENTLY SUPERB. IT FEEL LIKE THE QUARTET ARE CAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF TRANE AND TAKING OFF FROM THERE. EACH OF BISIO'S PIECE PROVIDES A DIFFERENT STRUCTURE AND CHALLENGE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE QUARTET. OLD DOG SWINGS FURIOUSLY ON "SWA SWU SUI" WITH INCREDIBLE SOLOS FROM KARL'S VIBES AND LOUIE'S TENOR. "ROUND AND ROUND" IS FREER, YET STILL POWERFUL AND FOCUSED WITH SOME HEAVY BOWED BASS, TENOR AND DRUMS DIALOGUE. WHAT AMAZES ME IS THAT THE (FLORIDA-BASED) PORTER RECORDS LABEL HAS BECOME OF THE MOST CONSISTENTLY ADVENTUROUS AND CREATIVE AVANT-JAZZ (AND BEYOND) LABELS IN JUST THEIR FIRST FEW YEARS. CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE GEMS FROM THE FINE FOLKS AT PORTER.

BRUCE LEE GALLANTER / DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY