RAY COMISKEYreviews the jazz pieces of the week...

Fred Hess

Hold On

Dazzle ***

For this big-band debut, composer, orchestrator and tenor saxophonist Fred Hess treads a personal if eclectic path through the tradition. His main reference is Bill Holman (with Rob McConnell and Gerry Mulligan), but his sometimes inside/outside charts are more complex, and his use of counterpoint more extensive than Holman's, as the intricacies of Good Questionand Hold Onreveal. If the clever Opposites Attractand the organised freedom of The Clef's Visit Grandma'spush the boundaries, there is also fine craftsmanship in the deft blend of Sicilienne/Greensleeves, the careful development of On Perry Streetand Anthony Braxton's RBHM-KNNK, and the lovely saxophone writing of Knitwit for Tara– all without the now customary multiple doubling to add colour to the reeds. Hess and Ron Miles (trumpet) solo with distinction in a more than capable band.

Clark Tracey

Current Climate

Tentoten ***

Drummer Clark Tracey turns to Jazz Messengers hard bop with a sextet of musicians nearly a generation younger than himself in Paul Jordanous (trumpet/flugel), Piers Green (alto), Lewis Wright (vibes), Kit Downes (piano) and Ryan Trebilcock (bass). The music hasn't quite got the in-your-face assertiveness of the original – probably a cultural as much as a generational thing – but the band is tight and crisp, with a balance between structure and spontaneity that works. Unfussy arranging makes unobtrusively deft use of the front line options on Bemsha Swing, Current Climateand Wayne Shorter's One By One, for example, and the group gives a glimpse of wider horizons in the fluidly open possibilities of Devil's Chair. A powerful rhythm section contributes to the feel-good factor and, among the impressive soloists, Downes is an outstanding talent. www.tentotenrecords.com