For this inspired 1994 date, veteran bassist
Reggie Workman assembled four fellow avant-garde luminaries: pianist
Andrew Hill, saxophonist
Sam Rivers, trombonist
Julian Priester, and drummer
Pheeroan akLaff. By the usual standards of these highly adventurous players, the record is relatively accessible, but it does makes for challenging listening. The quintet opens with "Encounter," a busy and bold selection by the late John Carter. Overall, only
Workman's "Summit Conference" and
Priester's "Breath" feature sustained periods of cacophony, yet even these freer pieces are built around a defined melody and structure.
Sonelius Smith's "Conversation" and
Rivers' "Solace" bump along with Latin rhythms;
Priester shines on both tracks. The trombonist is also the dominant voice on
Rivers' fast-swinging "Meteor."
Rivers plays soprano sax on
Workman's "Estelle's Theme" and flute on
Hill's "Gone," the latter a duet with
Hill that closes the session on an austere yet calming note. ~ David R. Adler