Live at Sweet Rhythm

Pianist and composer Sussman has gotten the band back together. The band here is called the Free Fall Reunion Band. "Free Fall" was the 1978 album that the group recorded together, which reviewed well in Down Beat. The members of the group went their separate ways, including Sussman, who became both a synth and piano sideman and also an educator at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2003, the group reunited for a gig in New York, and the resulting recording, just released now, remains potent, especially with trumpeter Tom Harrell, saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Jeff Williams. Sussman's com-positions are rich with chords, and the melodies, as played by the two horns, are powerful and relatively timeless. They are modern hard bop with a twist, featuring pressing rhythms, as on the burning "Tiahuanaco" and the wide-open title track. The musician-ship is stellar all around, but Sussman's solos can seem a bit uneasy, not always locking in with the rhythm. Still, it's a heck of a reunion.