Tan Bucher & Countryman, Acceptance.Resistance

If you respond to the "classic" form of free jazz as practiced in the later sixties by the likes of Coltrane and Sonny Simmons, the recent album by the trio Bucher Tan Countryman Acceptance.Resistance (Improvising Beings 53) may well give you a new jolt by returning to yet forging ahead in this mode.

The Philippines-based trio has power and creativity at its fingertips with Simon Tan on bass, Christian Bucher on drums and Rick Countryman on alto sax.The band gives us a full set of free and swinging-propulsing sounds that sound fresh and contemporary while hearkening back to the masters of the idiom.

Countryman has a vibrant soaring tone that he puts to good use with onslaughts of post-bop free continuity and poise. There is excellent fluidity to his horn lines that make things grow as they go.

Simon Tan has plenty of ideas and a woody sound that may well remind you of Silva, Grimes, Garrison and other past masters.

Christian Bucher takes advantage of the trio space with a busy, churning time/spacetime that has creative invention as well as drive.

Put the three together and set them loose. The result is an engaging album that keeps the flames kindled and creates a musical fullness that thrives on openness.

Here is a trio that knows what it is about and provides direction and soulful fire consistently.

Kudos!