| Here’s a set by a trio of truly comfortable and able improvisers. Assembled by Brian Allen on trombone, and rounded out with the addition of veterans Tony Malaby on tenor sax, and Tom Rainey on drums, “Synapse” follows the trio through 8 relatively short, free improvisations which never stray too far from a direct interplay and dynamic melodicism.
As a side note: Brian Allen hails from Lake Jackson, Texas, a small petrochemical-processing city about forty miles south of Houston, on the Gulf Coast. I live in Houston, and am familiar with Lake Jackson, and the idea of a jazz improviser surviving the almost certain horrors of a town like Lake Jackson is an accomplishment in and of itself. There must be something in the water around here, because free jazz luminary and drumming powerhouse Suzy Ibarra is also from the same basic area. I really enjoy this CD. These guys never play the raging skronk that has, for some reason, become synonymous with free jazz. Instead, they stick closer to a more subtle and playful sort of thing. Not that there is a lack of passion, they just simply ply their trade in a somewhat more spacious way. Despite the trio being headed by Allen, I often found myself focused more on the sax than the trombone, perhaps because Allen has a way of skirting the main direction of the tunes and instead chooses to weave around the sax and drums. Allen has an arsenal of techniques at his disposal, and he is more than comfortable to employ them all to give him the wide voice he needs to leave the conventions behind and to be able to birth something entirely original, yet familiar. These relatively short pieces are each able to communicate much in their brief time, and nothing here feels rushed in the least. In fact, everything seems to be right where it belongs, and as a trio, these guys sound as though they have been playing together for years. I would love to hear more from them, and look forward to seeing what they could accomplish given enough time. (8 stars of 10) John Cramer- John Cramer |
| BRIAN ALLEN WITH TONY MALABY AND TOM RAINEY - SYNAPSE REVIEW from Foxy Digitalis |
| http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/review_detail.php?id=1549 |