Peter Hess Quartet

Quintopus
The Adjacent Possible
ears&eyes Records No #

Designed to bolster similar mid-range pitches blending tenor saxophone and trombone output has long been a favored instrumental trope. Adding slightly outré tone extensions to the horns in the context of bare-bones bass-and-drum anchored programs, two American quartets present sophisticatedly arranged, thoroughly contemporary CDs. Present Company features a group of top New York-based players. They are saxophonist Peter Hess, who works with the Philip Glass Ensemble and Slavic Souk Party; trombonist Brian Drye another Soul Partier; drummer Tomas Fujiwara who play with Taylor Ho Bynum and Mary Halvorson; and bassist Adam Hopkins, an associate of Kate Gentile. A more academically committed and geographically spaced unit, Quintopus had its origin at Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, where drummer Chris Teal is still based. Saxophonist Doug Stone is a professor at Louisiana State University. Trombonist Nick Finzer has played with Anat Cohen’s Tentet, while Buenos Aires-residing bassist Matthew Golombisky is involved in record company management and directs an Argentinean youth orchestra.

In spite of this South American residency, The Adjacent Possible contains no Latin rhythms; with the nine tracks links firmly mainstream Jazz and the Blues. The latter come across most clearly on the final “When to Move”, where Stone’s yelping, yodeling trills suggest R&B antecedents, when not vibrating in unison with Finzer’s capillary growls to propel the straight-ahead melody. Meanwhile tom-tom slaps and bass thumps move the theme between allegrissimo and presto. More refined musicological tropes aren’t neglected however. “Blue Flux Pulse” is rondo with criss-cross horn lines that judder on top of hearty triple stopping from Golombisky, manages to maintain its light feel despite later plunger slurs from the trombonist. Working through brass growls, drum splatters, and booming double bass stops, the four manage to blend rhythmic power with tougher rhythmic cadences.

The other group’s material is measured and cadenced as well. Yet its performance includes an undercurrent of Cool Jazz mixed with instrumental technical extensions. The breeziness of a track such as “King Tone” for example, which depends on horn double counterpoint, also includes buzzing tenor saxophone tone extension and even a few reed shrieks. Aiming saxophone high pitches and frequently muted trombone low pitches to play out in contrapuntal shading, the front line is properly seconded by the bassist and drummer. Fujiwara’s martial bests steady a few tunes, while “The Net Menders” stately theme is defined by a single string double bass introduction that presages slippery full-band harmonies. Overall the band’s unique cool-hot-old-timey-modern mixture is best exposed on “Engines”. With a methodical bass pluck and cymbal patterning overlay, the narrative maintains a solid, andante pace, yet leaves room for tenor saxophone growls and tailgate trombone slurs that undulate up-and-down by the finale.

Thoroughly up-to-date and swinging, but never too comfortable or simple, the sounds produced by each quartet are equally praiseworthy.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Adjacent: 1. Quinto, Straight Ahead 2. The Adjacent Possible 3. Inaccessible Rail 4. Hooch & Eats 5. Declotter 6. Blue Flux Pulse 7. Quedo Quatro 8. Radio Cutting Bored 9. Tranca Feca

Personnel: Adjacent: Nick Finzer (trombone); Doug Stone (tenor saxophone); Matthew Golombisky (bass) and Chris Teal (drums)

Track Listing: Present: 1. Sanford Theme 2. King Tone 3. Echolocation 4. Engines 5. Komma 6. The Net Menders 7. When to Move

Personnel: Present: Brian Drye (trombone); Peter Hess (tenor saxophone); Adam Hopkins (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums)