Unified Stan Killian (Sunnyside) by Sharon Mizrahi

H overing over the cusp of warm classicism and tangy avant garde, Unified intrigues the ears with its uncertain direction. One minute smoothly subdued, the next shrouded in an array of riffs and variations, tenor saxist Stan Killian and his eight-member band keep the album in perpetual flux, never quite settling onto stable aural ground. But behind the mist of their foggy ambience lies a spark of hearty whimsy, transforming Unified into a radiant sum of ambiguous parts. Killians sax melts across Benito Gonzalez sparkling piano streams and Corcoran Holts supple bass chords in the opening Twin Dark Mirrors. Gonzalez and trumpeter Roy Hargrove soon flare the delicate air into outspoken momentum, successively rising with crackling virtuosity. The track never fully undergoes brazen metamorphosis, however, progressing in limbo between effortless charm and bold convolution. The title track sees the same incomplete harmony, though tapered by the gripping duo between Killian and alto saxist David Binney. The pair intertwine in an assertive brassy conversation, sometimes caustically interruptive, other times in hypnotic sync. Gonzalez paced piano infuses the

intense pairing with a hint of cool jazz alongside Darrell Greens brewing drum swoops, coaxing the fiery edge into understated ease. The musical climate takes a surprising turn in Isosceles, propelled forward by acidic piano jolts and urgently speedy bass. Yet even in the company of such powerhouse musicians, Killian grasps the reigns with full-bodied magnetism. He rapidly opens the track with a fierce slur of brass, subduing even Hargroves pungent trumpet as he unleashes one intricate tenor ribbon after another. And nearly two minutes into the track, the album reveals its glorious apex in the hands of Killians sax. Though the moment lasts only 20 seconds, it captures his approach to poignant perfection. Killian breaks alive with reckless abandon, blurting out agitated car-alarm wails, resounding screeches and wildly evolving bellows - all against the ambient calm of Gonzalez piano. For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com. Killian is at 55Bar Feb. 9th and Somethin Jazz Club Feb. 11th. See Calendar.

Live in Basel Pete Robbins Trans-Atlantic Quartet (Hate Laugh) by Wilbur MacKenzie

present his labyrinthine melodicism to foreign audiences. The title of Trans-Atlantic for this quartet is apt. With the New Yorkbased Robbins so active in Europe, Brooklyn bass guitarist Simon Jermyn hailing from Dublin and guitarist Mikkel Ploug and Toronto native Kevin Brow (drums) living in Copenhagen, this live recording from Switzerland represents a slew of poly-directional location dynamics. After a string of stellar studio releases, Robbins has turned his attention to the subtle challenge of accurately representing his groups performances on disc and Live in Basel is his second consecutive live recording. Jermyns unaccompanied introduction to There There sets a ruminative tone for a work that gradually unfolds to a harmonically brilliant ensemble sound. The musical connection between Jermyn and Robbins consistently forms the conceptual anchor of these works, with many key moments turning on the bassists melodic figures. Likewise, Ploug is a formidable foil for both Jermyn and Robbins - on works like Hoi Polloi the saxophonist and guitarist are in perfect sync as they snake through Robbins characteristically dynamic rhythmic concept. Jermyn and Brow consistently present a flexible, robust rhythm tandem, pushing and massaging tempo and dynamics and both members of the frontline always respond with shimmering gestures of melodic invention. The records opener and closer, Eliotsong and Hope Tober, respectively, both serve to define these very mature statements in Robbins history as a bandleader and composer, presenting balanced structure and thoughtful arrangements, seamlessly integrated with the quartets prescient interactions. For more information, visit peterobbins.com. Robbins is at Cornelia Street Caf Feb. 11th. See Calendar.

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18 February 2012 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD