Live Beauty

Live Beauty is filled with fine, probing modern mainstream that has a wide rhythmic range of reference but a lyrical heart. From instrumentation to idiom, it's indebted to sessions from the likes of Abercrombie/Surman and Scofield/Lovano, two key points of influence that shouldn't require any positive elaboration. Stowell is based in Portland, and Zilber's from the East Bay, and it's nice that they're documenting their longstanding collaboration with a rhythm section of considerable imagination and ability. On each piece, there's fine detail and conviction from all four players, with lots of emphasis on tone and color (especially on those fine, unpredictable changes of the opener, penned by drummer Lewis). It's tough to pull off this kind of careful, studied quality to the playing while also keeping things as cracking and bouncing as they are throughout, but that's very much the case with Stowell's patient, cerebral lines and Zilber's earthy, at times almost Breckerish improvisations; sometimes phrases punch and churn, while elsewhere they're content to insinuate. The tunes have some sharp edges (the jittery repetitions of "Quantum Theory") but often are marked by sudden turns into melancholy, as on the spacious "Shot Through With Beauty." And the writing smartly showcases the group's abilities. The start-stop craggy theme and wide intervals on "Stowell What" spotlight their feel for space and flinty texture. The laconic, medium-tempo lope of "Cookie Monster Blue" boasts some nice color and chord shifts. And even their adaptations of other material score points for innovation from the open duo reading of "My Funny Valentine" (where it sounds like Stowell is playing a bari guitar, or at least a detuned one) to the rousing "Wabash III" with its tasty second-line shuffle. Excellent mainstream, easily recommended.