City Life [CD]

Michael Dease has fully earned his stature as one of the great trombonists and jazz figures of these times. His formidably on the instrument, matched by his pursuit of inspired musical challenges and robust partnerships, is fully on display in the double CD, "City Life," his third album devoted to the music of composer Gregg Hill. Teaming with two of the more powerful voices in music - bassist Linda May Oh and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts - Dease devotes Disc One to a kinetically charged trio environment, capturing the gritty side of City Life by sparring freely with his trio mates while they masterfully cohabitate the flow of time. Disc Two adds saxophonist Nicole Glover and pianist Geoffrey Keezer to the soundscape, which may reflect a sophisticated counterview, with each disc capturing a perspective of the contradictions that make up "City Life." Dease proves yet again that straight-ahead post-bop can prove to be fertile ground for musical ingenuity and emotional heft as he tips, grandly, to composer Gregg Hill. DOWNBEAT"Dease modernizes the style significantly, energizes it, and gives it a new dimension. He skillfully handles both the most lively and the most poetic" PARIS MOVE.