The latest transatlantic hookup initiated by London-based Russian saxophonist Zhenya Strigalev brings together the superb Charles Lloyd drummer Eric Harland and New York bass guitarist Tim Lefebvre (a sideman on Bowie’s Blackstar) to power a collection of 20 tracks that feel like snapshots from classy jam sessions, peppered with electronics or improvised drums/bass interludes often under two minutes long. Lefebvre’s imposing presence guarantees that the feel is more rockish than 2015’s Robin Goodie, and the music is a typical Strigalev collision of hip jazz virtuosity and surrealism. A formal 1950s BBC voice introduces the album’s action, through which Strigalev’s alto displays bebop agility, shivery lyricism, or sometimes a bluesy Ornetteish swerve. Reading Shakespeare is like a speeded-up Russian folk dance played by a free-improv group; Some Thomas is a jaunty tribute to Strigalev’s hero Sonny Rollins, and there are glimpses of UK expat pianist John Escreet and James Farm bassist Matt Penman. It’s a capricious collage, but, give or take a few noodlings, very attractive – and a quartet version play it at Ronnie Scott’s in London on Sunday 3 April.
