Michael Adkins Quartet - Rotator

hatOLOGY

Much of the emerging press regarding Michael Adkins stresses the singularity of his sound. Stuart Broomer writes in his liners of possible listener shock arising from the assumption of his arrival fully formed, such are Adkins' formidable powers with his horn. Summary judgment, while complimentary, excludes the years of study and scuffling undertaken prior to the “arrival”. To whit, this Hat album postdates his actual recording debut by a good six years. The vagaries of the industry and marketplace are partially to blame, but it’s also a function of sheer numbers. It’s certainly not the result of suspect talent. Joe Lovano is a prominent influence, coming through in Adkins aerated tone and often warmly oblique delivery. The saxophonist has a gently obfuscating habit of granulating his tone at unexpected intervals and subsequently revealing a spectral facsimile of his former self. It’s an effective tactic noticeable early on with the ballad “Their May Be Wings” that invests his lines with uncertainty and keeps his accomplished colleagues from getting to comfortable in their respective roles. Pianist Russ Lossing is another one of the Hat labels leading lights, possessive of an intuitive style of play that places reflexivity at a premium. Bassist John Hebert and drummer Paul Motian have fielded several sideman gigs from Hat and each is in his element here.

Adkins confidence carries over into a program comprised completely of original pieces. The opening title track trades on a cyclic motif ripe for dissection by his prodding reed. Motian keeps the rhythm fluid and free of anchoring weight while Hebert’s throbbing fills thread between Lossing’s darkly gilded chords. The pianist’s solo seems to slow down and open things up at once, an effective contrast to the leader’s earlier harmonic legerdemain. Other pieces present a comparable dynamic and the album as a whole has a bit of the flavor of some of Motian’s past projects with Lovano, particularly those done under the aegis of ECM. The four manage to generate a sizeable density and volume without sounding overly ornate or bombastic. “Silent Screen” walks the tightrope between optimism and melancholy, Adkins sounding effusive at one turn and contemplative at another. Once again, the rhythm section rises well beyond the role of support and the piece becomes a breeding pool for subtle and spontaneous interplay. “Pearl 21” follows in short order with roiling activity that periodically limns the fringes of free improvisation. Adkin’s fleeting Jekyll to Hyde transformation enhances the engrossing piebald flavor of the piece. The elegant “Forena” tacks in a more circumscript emotional direction, spreading a calming cool to its companion’s brazen burn. In the aftermath of an audience with this album, the hype machine seems for once to be right on target with the truth.

~ Derek Taylor