Fresh from Germany, tenor saxist/bass clarinetist Gebhard Ullman leads a top heavy pianoless team of Steve Swell/tb, Julian Arguelles/bari, Pascal Niggenkemper/b and Gerald Cleaver/dr through a collection of semi-fre post bop originals. The success of the pieces depend on the support form bass and drums, as they carry the brunt of the work, crating some workable lines for the thick horns on “Trinidad Walk” whle bouncing around for Ullman’s lively horn on “Five.” The laconic “Don’t Touch My Music” has a palpable collection of reeds, while Swell growls on “Flutiest With Hat and Shoe.” Some hectic unison lines sound lilke a frantic Swiss Marching band on “Wo Bitte…” and the free flying horns turn into a chaotic Neopolitan traffic jam on “Gulf of Berlin.” Sometimes sailing smoothly, and other times in need of a rudder, the team tackles white caps with enthusiasm here.
Challenge Records