Range of Motion

Staking out the vast middle ground between Dresser and Kennedy is drummer Jack Mouse?s new Origin CD, Range of Motion. Mouse composed all of the pieces on this album, but the structures are considerably looser than on Dresser?s album. He also closes his album with an impromptu duet with his tenor saxophonist, Scott Robinson, but the results are much more low-key than on the Kennedy CD. Of course, Mouse?s album stands up on its own without comparing it to the other albums. Excepting New Yorker Robinson, the other musicians?trumpeter Art Davis, guitarist John McLean, and alternating bassists Kelly Sill and Bob Bowman?are, like Mouse, Chicago musicians. There?s obvious familiarity between these Windy City instrumentalists, and to his credit, Robinson fits right in to the group. The opening track ?LaPorta?, includes several sections of collective improvisation, and there?s a great give-and-take to each player?s contribution. Davis? straight-forward tone contrasts well with Robinson?s opaque sound, and their improvisations reveal the wide range of their influences. At times, McLean relies too heavily on the guitar effects, but his solos are well-constructed and he ably supports the other soloists. Each of the bassists get a single solo, but their main role is as accompanists and they do that exceptionally well. Mouse makes his presence known throughout with ongoing commentary with the other musicians, and he has a great brush spot on the Mancini-inspired tune ?The Breezeling?. Mouse?s compositions include tributes to influences John LaPorta and Shelly Manne, pieces he wrote while in the Chicago Jazz Quintet and Bunky Green?s group, plus tunes inspired by Chicago winter storms, Kansas prairie dances and hockey star Bobby Orr. While the compositions cover a variety of styles (blues, cool, jazz waltz, New Orleans strut), there?s a unified feeling to the repertoire which strengthens the album as a whole.