Following up the previous year's
Polaroid Memory, pianist
Sebastian Weiss keeps the same rhythm section (bassist
Bob Bowen, drummer
Dan Weiss) and adds fiery alto saxophonist
Miguel Zenón. The tunes, again, are all
Weiss originals, and while some flirt with a kind of boiling intensity, the music manages to sustain a cool, meditative quality throughout.
Zenón appears on the first two offbeat, funky numbers, "No Stop" and "Momentum," then lays out on "Returning for More," which seems more classically influenced and features
Bowen up front.
Bowen also begins the slowly building "Absence," toward the end of which
Zenón sneaks back in. The broken staccato theme of "Misdialed" follows, yielding an unexpected piano/drum breakdown. Mellow swing and bright harmonies inform the trio piece "6 a.m. Elevated," a sort of quiet before the storm of "Currents," a hot Latin-based number that finds
Zenón's horn singing forcefully. "Boa Constrictor on 75th Street" gives
Weiss another chance to shine in a trio setting; the tune's off-kilter, swinging strains give drummer
Dan Weiss a launching pad for an especially provocative solo. The drummer then displays his impressive tabla chops on the finale, "Grow," a lighthearted, short-and-sweet duo with the leader. The recording itself could use more spark, but the flowing rhythms, spacious and advanced harmonic concepts, and strong melodic content all make
Sebastian Weiss' music well worth hearing.