Early Song

On his fourth CD for Steeplechase, tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose -- who was just 27 years old at the time of the sessions -- displays a surprising maturity as both a player and composer. Ambrose is joined by pianist George Colligan, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Rick Montalbano, and the musicians play with the finesse of a regular working band while tackling an ambitious program. The saxophonist really wails in his striking opener, the twisting yet hard-driving "Waiting." Colligan's atonal "What Is the Meaning of This" keeps the musicians on their toes as they navigate this difficult post-bop chart. Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Useless Landscape" is hardly one of the Brazilian master's better-known compositions, yet this young quartet devours it, even adding a touch of boogaloo. Their brisk rendition of Jerome Kern's "The Song Is You" suggests the influence of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. "Early Song" is another original by Ambrose, a cheerful number with a bit of a Latin feeling. It gets tiresome to say, but European jazz labels (along with small American independents) seem far more interested in discovering talented artists like Ari Ambrose and George Colligan; the majors in the U.S. seem to remain clueless. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden|