Label: International Anthem, 2022

Personnel - Emilio Modeste: saxophone; George Burton: piano, rhodes; Dezron Douglas: electric and acoustic bass; Joe Dyson: drums + guest: Melvis Santa: vocals, percussion (#5).

Atalaya, the new outing by New York bassist/composer Dezron Douglas (Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane), involves a cohesive quartet and consists of ten originals. One of them, “Wheeping Birch” was co-written with the Cuban singer Melvis Santa, who contributes melodious words in Spanish. On this particular cut, an articulated electric bass solo conveys rich, deep tones within an easy, relaxed phrasing.

In general, the album is a kaleidoscope of grooves and moods that hooks us up right from the start. The title track nurtures an adventurous 13-beat-cycle groove with charming soprano melody dripping from above. The smart deconstruction of tempo leads to inevitably modulation, and the group takes a good dip in the rich texture with a free-floating frame of mind.

“Rosé” passes a certain breezy feel that evokes green nature and upper blue skies. With a three time feel making the way, it's the saxophonist Emilio Modeste that rips out improvised lines that bristle with tension and release. He wows again on “Coyoacan”, employing a Coltranean vernacular that adjusts to the oscillation between conscious briskness and swinging brightness. On “More Coffee Please”, the saxophonist has in the pianist George Burton a solid co-conspirator in the improvisation. Moved by an uptempo locomotion, this latter tune behaves like an energetic post-bop boost that ripples with angst.

Douglas grooves with notes that slip in and out of the space on “Luna Moth”. The bandleader delivers an unaccompanied solo that leads to a transient unison melody with Modeste, who, shortly after, carries out all the talking while Douglas engages in a vibrant swinging progression. Before the bolero-flavored “Foligno” closes out the session, there’s “Octopus”, which, after an introductory bass monologue delivered with a magnetic, pitch-bending effect, ends up with a functional integration of melody and harmonic drive.

With the assistance of his valuable peers, Douglas put together a fine album that, nott being groundbreaking, demonstrates his musical virtues.