Label: Sunnyside Records, 2020

Personnel - Adam Kolker: tenor and soprano saxophones; Bruce Barth: piano; Ugonna Okegwo: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

For more than three decades, saxophonist/composer and esteemed educator Adam Kolker has been developing his sound and language, whether by leading his groups or contributing to projects of Ray Barretto, Gunther Schuller and George Schuller, among others.

His fourth outing on the Sunnyside imprint, Lost, features him in a quartet with pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Billy Hart. The extremely tasteful selection of tunes for this album includes a pair of Kolker original compositions, fresh interpretations of gems by Wayne Shorter and Gil Evans, and familiar jazz standards.

Shorter has been always a big influence and his musical aesthetics are carved out on “Hidden Treasures”, where it’s almost impossible not to notice the sophisticated brushing technique that Hart puts on display. Once again, the drummer’s artistry with brushes becomes remarkably pronounced on another Kolker tune, the semi-swinging “Flips”, whose head incorporates fragmented phrases with occasional staccatos and post-bop-derived accentuations. Boasting a strong sense of free-flowing here, the quartet really shows hard work behind their moves, in the same way that substantiates the deep and longstanding musical bond forged by its members.

Preceding the latter piece in the track listing, Gil Evans/Miles Davis’ “The Time of the Barracudas” opens the record by spreading a wondrous, honest post-bop empathy. Besides the deftly modulated group dynamics, this 6/4 piece emphasizes the sizzling and precise articulations from Kolker, who uses the right metrics to impress on the tenor, and Barth, whose modal harmonies and melodic coherence flourish with instinctive spontaneity.

Outlined with a rare sensibility by the rhythm section, “Lost” is the first of two beautifully rendered Shorter compositions to appear on the album. The other one is “Dance Cadaverous”, originally a mid-tempo waltz, here loosen up by a languishing pulse. Both the balladic inclinations and deliberate ambiguity are accentuated by Kolker’s soprano sax.

Masterfully arranged by the bandleader, “Darn That Dream” is launched with an airy, rubato introduction before stressing Kolker’s ability to navigate upper registers with finesse. His tenor gets adequate support from the rhythm team, which keeps the flame burning until a fade-out brings the piece to a closure.

Lost radiates that sort of peaceful energy that will make everyone fall for its charms.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Time of the Barracudas ► 02 - Flips ► 04 - Lost