Search - Jackalope :: Saltier Than Ever

Loren Stillman's other band

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 12/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the presence of one of the world's great jazz guitarists, John Abercrombie, isn't it a bit over the top to characterize this as Loren Stillman's gig? After all, Abercrombie could be Stillman's father. But you know what? Stillman dominates this disc. He's simply a monster, conceptually, tonally, and as a soloist.The thing that amazes about Stillman's alto sax playing is his maturity of voice at the callow age of 22. Already, he sounds like no one else in the history of alto jazz sax. Yes, there are shades of Lee Konitz, and his muscular melodicism reminds me of the great American expatriot alto sax master, Michael Moore. But the plain truth is that he already has established his own unique voice, which finds glorious expression in the context of this bassless guitar/sax/drums trio. With any other players, the lack of a bass might seem erroneous or defective. But these players create such an amazingly rich sonic signature that one hardly notices the lack of a bottom. Part of this has to do with Abercrombie's guitar richness, part with Bob Meyer's creative use of the bass drum. In any case, they constantly provide an ideal framework for Stillman's flights of fancy on alto and soprano sax.A word about Stillman's soprano playing, which is some of the most mesmeric on record. When he picks up this axe, there's a kind of beguiling world-jazz mystery to the proceedings (check out, e.g., "Kryptonite"), and his tone is, once again, almost sui generis, somewhere between Wayne Shorter, Bobby Watson, and Sam Newsome, though it strikes me as brawnier than any of these.Another strength of this disc is its incredible group interaction--it's almost as if these guys have been playing together all their lives instead of just eight months (at the time of this recording). But that just adds weight to my contention that the best jazz these days is being made by real groups.This is much more that a band to watch. This is a group that has fully come into its own, playing some of the most exciting and provocative jazz around anywhere. A very special release."