Label: Grizzley Music, 2020

Personnel - Jeff Lederer: saxophones, flute; John Medeski: organ; Jeff Cosgrove: drums.

Possessing a confident yet unflashy style, drummer/composer Jeff Cosgrove pays tribute to bassist and composer William Parker - with whom he performed and recorded a few times in the past - by focusing majorly on his quartet repertoire. With him, enlivening his sixth outing as a leader, are saxophonist Jeff Lederer (Matt Wilson Quartet) and organist John Medeski (Medeski, Martin & Wood). Their uplifting energy and fully commitment on these 10 tracks simply prove they were optimum choices to fulfill the task.

This classy organ trio starts unapologetic and quite charming on “O’Neals Porch”, working dynamics with tasteful surroundings, ebullient trills, piercing saxophone shouts and ecstatic psychedelic chops with hints of R&B. Riding these swinging waves with abandon, Lederer becomes naturally the focal point here as he extracts sweeping phrases and rhythmic motifs from the jazz and blues idioms. However, the harmonic and rhythmic works by Medeski and Cosgrove, respectively, become vital in mitigating the dichotomy between uncertainty and resolution, as well as retro and newfangled sounds.

Brushed with a nice touch, “Corn Meal Dance” is characterized by slow and controlled movements, a pale harmonic palette with a stable bluesy feel, and the attractive, occasionally raucous tones of Lederer’s gospelized tenor. Displaying sterling melodies, the saxophonist contributes two excellent pieces of his own to the lineup: “Gospel Flowers”, a waltzing piece that conjures the spiritual and modal realms of John Coltrane and Dr. Lonnie Smith; and the resplendent “Purcell’s Lament”, a re-imagination of Henry Purcell’s aria where soprano melodies, mallet drumming, and sustained organ chords conjugate beautifully. It’s pure classical-meets-jazz sophistication.

“Little Bird”, an elated heavy swinger, kicks off with an interesting flute-organ interaction before fixating in personal statements from all three artists - Medeski is at once playful and assertive, Lederer is eloquent and inventive, and Cosgrove, playing with a bit more reserve, talks with coherence. This piece is marked by a frenetic, spiraling finale.

Also pulsing and throbbing with life, “Wood Flute Song” swings in a different way, crossing the line that separates tradition from avant-garde.

Probing different moods, “Ghost” and “Things Fall Apart” have a higher prevalence of abstraction and fantasy. Penned by Cosgrove, the former piece has timely cymbal crashes punctuating the eerie atmospheres explored by Medeski; in turn, the latter number feels shapeless and totally improvised, even when displaying synchronism between the players.

The first album to feature Parker’s music without the presence of the bassist, embraces variety in a clever, relatable way. And the music soars, sometimes with a tasteful restraint, sometimes with an electrified intensity.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - O’Neals Porch ► 03 - Gospel Flowers ► 09 - Purcell’s Lament