NY drummer's working quintet combines the rock-solid drive of Art Blakey with the chance-taking of the avant-garde.

Second release by this NY drummer's working quintet combines the rock-solid drive of an Art Blakey group with the chance-taking of the avant-garde. Eisenstadt's crafty compositions offer his front line room to shine, and the rhythmic and harmonic interaction between them, the vibes and the rhythm section is consistently inspired. His sidemen are well known in their own right, having toured with Evan Parker, Rob Mazurek, Steve Lehman and Tony Malaby. Featuring Nate Wooley (trumpet) Matt Bauder (tenor sax), Chris Dingman (vibes) and Eivind Opsvik (bass).

If the band is known for the way it blends 'a mid-60s Blue Note vibe with elastic post-rock grooves and subtle West African influences' (Troy Collins, AAJ), Harris is quick to point out that it also explores areas of improvisation that are outside of jazz, such as Nate Wooley's dense, active non-pitched textures on trumpet. 'There's something that the different strains of [new and free] jazz from the 60s share: a sense of adventure. All those musics are being renewed and updated today in endless different ways - amazing really, considering the culture wars of the 80s and 90s. I think Chinen says it well: I do take a fixer's approach to music making. I'm not a breaker. I'm interested in freedom and structure and different ways they can co-exist...I compose for the band members - their personalities come out in the arrangements - but no matter how detailed my scores are, the strength and vibrancy of the music comes from the band finding its collective voice through rehearsals and performances.'

Track Listing

• Cobble Hook
• To Seventeen
• Song for Owen [for Owen Eisenstadt]
• Now Longer
• To Eh
• To Be
• To See / Tootie
• Judo with Tokyo Joe [for John Zorn]

Additional Details

Label: Songlines

Genre: Jazz

Run Time: 48 mins

Release Date: 04/12/11

UPC: 774355158920