Jim Snidero releases another impressively strong release with his equally impressively earthy alto sax on this session with Paul Bollenback/g, Linda Oh/b and Rudy Royston/dr. Many of the compositions are impressions of Asian Art, having been performed at the NYC Rubin Museum. Besides the intriguing abstractions that mix with the propulsive drive supplied by Royston, the intriguing thing here is that Bollenback uses his acoustic guitar during most of the pieces, with his dainty and plaintive pickings on the shadowy “Nirvana” and the title track sounding like gentle droplets of dew against the rustling leaves. Things get more assertive and combative on the percussive “Fear One” which has all three gents involved in an arm wrestling match, and Snidero’s horn is particularly pungent on the modal “K-Town” before things settle back down into the pensive “Vantage.” The mix of Bollenback’s lithe and fragile acoustic strings contrasted with the Snidero’s blistering sax make for great clashes of colors on this exciting post bop disc.
Savant Records