Since the 1970s, the California-born saxophonist David Murray has evolved into a jazz-sax colossus for his tempestuously personal fusion of John Coltrane’s and Albert Ayler’s methods, and plenty of swing-to-bop influence from Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and Ben Webster, too. Last year, he assembled this powerful trio with pianist Geri Allen and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, a fascinating contrast of his own swerves from tonality to dissonance with the more orthodox lyricism and timekeeping of his partners – notably in the honking, ruggedly romantic Latin opener Mirror of Youth, the lovely gospel ballad Barbara Allen, or the smoky Wayne Shorter dedication Samsara. But the title track, with the trio augmented by bassist Charnett Moffett, trombonist Craig Harris and trumpeter Wallace Roney, is a seething Ornette Coleman dedication in which Carrington and Moffett perfectly catch the airborne groove of a classic Coleman rhythm section. Elsewhere, Murray’s wildness and his partners’ more formal methods don’t always entirely gel, but the trio’s evolution will be intriguing to witness at the EFG London jazz festival on 19 November.
