(with Randy Brecker – trumpet; Cecil McBee- doublebass, Phil Markowitz – piano, Billy Hart – drums)
Sax Summit was founded in the mid-90s by Michael Brecker, together with Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano. Now with Michael Brecker no longer with us as of early last year, Sax Summit has been reconvened with John Coltrane’s son Ravi replacing Brecker’s position. The album continues to explore John Coltrane’s later works, and was designed as a tribute to Brecker, with his brother Randy on trumpet on two of the tracks. Multi-reedman Dave Liebman plays both flute and soprano sax on most of the tracks, while Lovano is heard on alto clarinet, Scottish flute and double-soprano sax on some tracks. The others generally play tenor sax. The result is a sort of Three Brothers sound.
The last three tracks are by John Coltrane, and the various performers were responsible for others of the ten tracks. This is a result of Sax Summit being a collaborative workshop – Dave Liebman had requested that each member contribute a composition for the new album. The different reeds give the ensemble a greater variety of instrumental combinations and sounds that adds much interest to the usual multiple-sax setup. And all the tunes don’t feature a trio arrangement – some are quarters, duos, even solos. The distinctive sound textures of each instrument makes for a richer sonic experience too. The notes say the session was recorded for surround – as are nearly all Telarc recordings – so I’m hoping this will come out later as a surround SACD for an even greater listener involvement in the music-making!
TrackList: Transitions, The 13th Floor, Reneda, All About You, Message to Mike, Alpha and Omega, Our Daily Bread, Cosmos, Seraphic Light, Expression.
– John Henry
