Sunwatcher

The debut recording as a leader by saxophonist Jeff Lederer is a powerful statement, aided by a seriously impressive backing band. Pianist Jamie Saft is perhaps better known as an organist, and his Black Shabbis project combines avant jazz, Jewish melodies, and heavy metal; Buster Williams is a renowned veteran bassist whose career included time spent in Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band; and drummer Matt Wilson is both the leader of his own band and a highly in-demand sideman. Lederer is paying tribute to a wide range of influences on this disc, Albert Ayler being one of the most notable. The cover art and the first track, "Albert's Sun," both recall the saxophonist in his final phase of spiritual seekerhood and explicitly gospel-informed music-making. Other tracks like "Cristo Redentor" (on which Saft switches to organ) and "Break Bread Together" build powerful, lurching grooves, while "Arnold Schoenberg's Son (Was My Math Teacher)" and "Arshawsky" (named in tribute to Artie Shaw) find Lederer switching to clarinet. The album's longest track is its nearly 11-minute closer, "Turiyasangitananda," which some listeners will immediately -- and correctly -- guess is a nod to Alice Coltrane. It's no mere exercise in nostalgia for the spiritually minded free jazz of the late '60s and early '70s, though; this band, which through Williams' presence spans at least two generations, is intent on making new music through collective memory and in-the-moment inspiration, and that's what great jazz is always about, no matter the era. ~ Phil Freeman