Return Of The New Thing - Traque

Jason Ferguson, Orlando Weekly Music

The name deceptively invokes a reprise of '60s Afro-improv stylings when, in fact, this quartet is far more closely aligned with the Teutonic skronk that emerged from the post-New Thing European movement.
Yes, in the same way that Shepp and Ornette and Coltrane developed improvisational flurries that swirled chaotically while remaining anchored to a fleeting melodic design, ROTNT allows each player to explore -- sometimes concurrently -- their various improvisational ideas while occasionally revisiting what could loosely be called a "theme."
But the harsh fire each player invokes -- especially the key-pounding of Dan Warburton and the heels-in sax work of Jean-Luc Guionnet -- is of that distinctly European style that the FMP crowd knows so well.
Wildly invigorating and emotionally evocative, free jazz needs more wild-eyed performances like this.