Teeming with capacious subtleties, ethereal dialogues and odd-metered unison runs, the quartet broadcasts a few nods to Ornette Coleman amid crafty sojourns framed on multifaceted metrics. Lovens often executes on top of a given pulse. Essentially, he peppers the frontline to offset the velvety toned work of eminent alto saxophonist Michael Moore, who merges an ever-so-soft undertone with commanding improvisational faculties.
Boeren steers an exploration mission, yet the differentiator is that the musicians align and take full control along the way with a stylistic flair that yields the winning formula. The quartet works through unorthodox time signatures and elicits imagery of a bustling metropolis on Coleman’s “Moon Inhabitants.” And Moore tempers the flow via his buttery sax parts. Yet on other pieces such as Boeren’s spicy bop gala “Fuzzaphony,” the musicians render a jubilant mid-tempo groove, tinged with a touch of Coleman’s harmolodic sensibilities. Therefore, Boeren leads a world-class ensemble as the end results prove to be quite rewarding.
