Andrew Cyrille Quartet, The Declaration of Musical Independence

Over the years Andrew Cyrille has proven himself as one of the premier avant jazz drummers in the music, an extraordinary creative force as soloist and band member--and band leader. For his latest, The Declaration of Musical Independence (ECM 2430), he assembles a band not entirely typical for him, but exceptional in its breadth and scope of musical expression.

Bill Frisell is here, a dynamo of electric guitar finesse and power; then there is Richard Teitelbaum, a pioneer of new jazz as a synthesizer proponent and a formidable pianist. Ben Street may not be as well known, but his double bass role on this album is exactly what is needed.

Andrew sounds as beautiful and as innovative as ever. Everything he does lays just right, whether it be as the open free time melder for the quartet or as a profound if all-too-brief soloist. This is about the group sound more than as a vehicle for him to show us his singular brilliance, but he nevertheless manages to give us a major statement on the drums as the music forges on with great presence.

There are originals by Frisell, Teitelbaum and Street. They give structure and purpose while allowing plenty of room for individual and group soloing of a high level. Then there are four-way free improvs that stand out for their special sonics and electricity.

It's a free and voltage-tapped music that gives everyone space and ambient direction of which they make ideal use. The result is startlingly unique and reminds us that the use of some electricity can still give us every bit of the open subtlety of an all-acoustic date.

I cannot recommend this one more strongly than I do here. This is one of the more profound avant jazz releases of the year. Hear it!

Billy Hart Quartet, All Our Reasons

The Billy Hart Quartet has evolved since its origins in a hard bop mode around 2003. The newest album All Our Reasons (ECM B0016575-02) brings them into free-space territory.

It's an excellent platform for the talents of maestro Hart on the drums plus Mark Turner on tenor, Ethan Iverson, piano, and Ben Street, bass. Hart, Iverson and Turner all contribute compositions.

Iverson's "Ohnedaruth" works freely with the changes of Coltrane's "Giant Steps" in ways somewhat similar to what trumpeter Peter Evans has done with "All the Things You Are." That is, to follow the sequence of changes but in a very free way, thoroughly loosening up the rhythmic pulse at times and injecting a healthy creative freedom into the mix.

Billy Hart has always been a drummer who is both driving and very musical. I remember the feeling when I saw him with Mwandishi in 1972 that here was a player who didn't fall into the typical patterns to get through, but rather was filled with inventive ideas that worked well with whatever music was at hand. He has only gotten more profound in this way as he has matured over the years. You can just listen to him on this album and get plenty to enjoy and think about. But of course with Mark Turner's tenor and his controlled passion, Ethan Iverson's well-thought-out pianism, Ben Street's solid, musically astute anchorage and the engaging original compositions to be had here, there is a total experience.

It is music that freely engages virtually everything in the players' individual jazz arsenals, but also makes for a group effort in the best sense. It may take a few plays to get into the spirit of the music, but you WILL know when you get there. And I suspect you will get there as I did. This is a jazz for today. Recommended.