Time and Time Again
You could call the austere, resonating sounds laid down by drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano chamber jazz. But while that would speak to the refinement of this long-standing trio, it would miss the free, open-ended nature of their collaboration. You get the feeling if they weren't in the business of making a recording, their three-way conversations would keep going and going. Dominated by Motian compositions, this sequel to their fine 2004 album,I Have the Room Above Her, is frequently centered by Lovano's artfully restrained tenor, buoyed by Frisell's trademark roots-inflected chordings and prodded by Motian's ever-shifting patterns. But the artists exchange those roles at will, resulting in melodies that can come at you from any angle and textures that constantly renew themselves. A diaphonous reading of Thelonious Monk's "Light Blue" and a plummy reading of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "This Nearly Was Mine" (fromSouth Pacific) raise the melodic ante while maintaining the overall feeling of the album.--Lloyd Sachs