Bruce Arnold: A Few Dozen

A Few Dozen finds guitarist Bruce Arnold adapting serialist and twelve-tone concepts to jazz composition and improvisation. Joined by bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Tony Moreno, Arnold comes up with a heady brew that defies easy categorization. There’s an angular edge to much of the material, especially the title track and the multilayered "Dialog." But the tempos and moods do vary — witness the latin bounce of "Broadway Y2K," the brooding slowness of "Numbers," and the singable beauty of "Reflection." Arnold shows that twelve-tone techniques needn’t be stiff, strident, or opaque; they can even yield a lovely ballad. And their formal strictures can lend melodic shape and focus to a solo, as Arnold also repeatedly proves.

Tracks: 1. A Few Dozen 2. Reflection 3. 7th Street 4. Numbers Prelude 5. Numbers 6. Broadway Y2K 7. Dialog.

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