Label: SteepleChase, 2022

Personnel - Andrew Rathbun: tenor and soprano saxophone; Rich Perry: tenor saxophone; Gary Versace: piano; John Hébert: bass; Billy Drummond: drums.

Canadian saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun invites veteran tenorist Rich Perry to join him in the frontline of a new quintet featuring the flexible rhythm section of pianist Gary Versace, longtime collaborator and bassist John Hébert, and drummer Billy Drummond, who records with the bandleader for the first time. Following a duo outing with the idiosyncratic pianist Ran Blake, in which they played mostly standards, Rathbun releases Semantics, a JUNO nominated album that comprises seven new originals and an outstanding interpretation of Miles Davis/Gil Evans’ “The Time of the Barracudas”.

The latter piece kicks off with the bassist and drummer fixated on a loose, swinging vibe that would serve as a safe ground for a stunning tenor solo by Rathbun, who opens the improvisational section with an effective melodic force. Versace succeeds him, and then it’s Perry who completes the sequence with cerebral motifs and a Shorter-esque vision of things.

The opening track, “Number 1”, a no-nonsense approach to Rathbun’s composition, feels modal with meter shifts and saxophone unison lines populating the theme statement. Hébert stems the tide here with his magnetic bass playing, whether providing structure to the tune’s head or improvising. Unsurprisingly, the saxophonists dig in for an elastic conversation. The closing number, “Some Things Are Backward”, showcases sharp rhythmic accents, fragmented phrasing that alludes to hard-bop, and a harmonic treatment that incites freedom of speech.

The title track acquires force along the way but also includes reflective moments that can be equally appreciated on “Gestures From Another Time” and especially on “Old Ballad for Hawk”, which is complemented with heartfelt bass and hinged piano statements.

Semantics is very jazzistic in the most straight-ahead and post-bop sense of the word, and the music is never less than intriguing.