Search - Peter Epstein :: Invisible

The ever-shifting landscape of young musicians blurring the lines of mainstream and avant-garde jazz has produced some gems. Saxophonist Peter Epstein leveraged the scene in 1998 on the magnificent Staring at the Sun, and he does so again on The Invisible. Epstein wisely elected to keep the Staring quartet intact for its successor, and they shine. Jim Black and keyboardist Jamie Saft share an affinity for angularity and chunky bends in time and tone while Chris Dahlgren holds down the fort on bass. Epstein has a laser-like focus he aims squarely in minute phrases on "Good Fever," later honing in on dramatic textural dynamics with "Creamy Center." Saft's farfisa organ adds an extra range to the quartet on "The Leaf's Impression," which seeps into the ear like most of this album, with an initial shyness that blossoms into an indelible imprint. As a saxophonist, Epstein is first rate, eschewing virtuosity for a more reflective, impressionistic aesthetic that has him holding back, then lunging forward, then receding. As a bandleader, he has an unerring sense of the way a band can shape a tune. This band shapes some fine tunes. --Andrew Bartlett