After devoting his fourth album as a leader (
Ballad Session) to standards,
Mark Turner comes up with nine originals for his fifth,
Dharma Days. But as on
Ballad Session, which included everything from
George Gershwin to
Carla Bley, the tenor saxophonist is intent upon displaying the breadth of his taste. If the leadoff track, "Iverson's Odyssey," sounds like a fairly typical post-bop exploration, "Myron's World," with its lengthy unaccompanied introduction, suggests mid-period
John Coltrane, while the concluding track, "Seven Points," is oddly disquieting and distinctly experimental. As usual,
Dharma Days is a virtual duo album with guitarist
Kurt Rosenwinkel. The two musicians play together on their club dates, but each has a solo recording contract,
Turner with Warner Bros. and
Rosenwinkel with Verve, so they trade off nominal leadership of their group, depending on whose session it is. (The rhythm section here consists of bass player
Reid Anderson and drummer
Nasheet Waits.) But the heart of both musicians' music is their interplay, which depends on a contrast between
Turner's long, relaxed lines and
Rosenwinkel's fast, anxious fretwork. When they are soloing together, as on "Deserted Floor" here, there is a fascinating musical conversation going on. ~ William Ruhlmann