Bill McHenry: Bill McHenry Quartet Featuring Paul Motian

Saxophonist Bill McHenry's latest CD is a successful meeting of three of jazz's finest younger talents with one of the music's most venerated players. McHenry, who produced the CD and composed all nine selections, has a beautiful tone, strong and clear with an open freshness. He has a fluent sense of melody, but he can also let go of structure and work with the insides of chords. McHenry is also an excellent composer with a gift for inventive structures, and he gives his quartet—which includes Ben Monder on guitar, Reid Anderson on bass, and Paul Motian on drums—plenty of room to breathe.

The CD has a spacious mood and a sense of restraint that makes it an example of contemporary cool. The quartet's lack of piano gives the songs an airy feel, which fits perfectly with the pleasing clarity of McHenry's tone. Several songs stand out: "Stars (Heavenly Bodies)" features subtle guitar work by Monder, who sounds like a gently chiming bell, and there's also a nice bass run by Anderson. "Social Unconsciousness" has a sense of urgency, with a fine Monder solo, and "Alfombra Magica" has a lovely lyricism and yearning that branches off into unexpected electronic directions.

Any time a group has Paul Motian as its drummer, it benefits from his effortless style and flexible precision. Motian has been playing drums for over sixty years, and he is part of jazz's bedrock. Yet Motian always keeps vital, and he's thoroughly comfortable with the younger generation of musicians. His work here enhances an already excellent group, adding an underpinning of history and inspiration.