Wellstone Conspiracy

The Wellstone Conspiracy is a collective venture for four of the more prolific jazz musicians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. The group consists of Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen and from Seattle, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. They recorded One More Mile under Jensen's name. For their second album, Motives, however, they retitled themselves the Wellstone Conspiracy as they delved deeper into a melodic music that is steeped in the modern harmonic concepts of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The band is highly interlocked and organic with each member adding important components, and Jensen's aching soprano the hub around which the spokes emanate. There's a careful interplay between the classic sorts of sounds encapsulating the urban nightclub aesthetic and more open, smooth, and exploratory elements. It's a fine line to walk between free jazz and urban cool, but these musicians have been at the core of the Northwest sound for some time, and it comes out in their compositions, as well as their playing styles. It makes for excellent listening -- at the same time ambient and melodic, experimental and traditional, and constantly enjoyable.