Tomeka Reid Quartet: Dance! Skip! Hop!

If the fourth album from the Tomeka Reid Quartet proves nothing else, it is that the group has shown a remarkable capacity for getting better with each release. Not just in the strength and quality of the compositions, but also through the tightness and cohesiveness of the band.

The title Dance! Skip! Hop! is apt for the album as the rhythms roll along through every song, all tying together like an album-long suite. With a band that tends toward the lower end of the musical spectrum—cello, bass, drums and guitar—rhythm is important in propelling the songs forward and accenting their lyrical direction. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara and bassist Jason Roebke provide a strong, solid base in each song for cellist Reid and guitarist Mary Halvorson to flitter and flutter over. Reid and Halvorson often do not solo so much as converse with each other on their instruments.

It is somewhat of a cliché to talk about the telepathic relationship between musicians, but clearly this is a band where each musician can respond and complement the others to best bring out the beauty of the compositions. And, as is suggested by the title, they seem to be having a great deal of fun playing together.  

All the songs offer plenty of room for the musicians to stretch out, with the shortest one just over six and a half minutes. The length of the pieces allows Reid the opportunity to play with rhythm and tempo throughout, such as on the ten-minute title song that opens the album. It almost literally skips along at first, constantly moving with Fujiwara's syncopated beat and Roebke's bass runs, Halvorson and Reid deep in conversation over top. A little more than halfway through, the song breaks down into free jazz for a minute before resuming the opening rhythm. Then it breaks down again, and Fujiwara takes a short solo before the song hops to its end.

Halvorson offers support most of the time on the songs, but takes some beautiful extended solos, especially fiery and crunchy on "Oo long!," the center of the album. Reid spends much of the album plucking the cello, but provides some lovely bowing on "A(ways) For CC and CeCe" and "Under the Aurora Sky."

The last song, the stunning "Silver Spring Fig Tree," is a tribute to where Reid grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland (though she later became a stalwart of the Chicago scene and member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and to Steve Feigenbaum, founder of the independent label Cuneiform Records  in Silver Spring (which released the previous two quartet recordings). The song starts with an eclectic rhythm, led by a Halvorson riff, until about halfway through, when it breaks down into a cascade of guitar notes and cello plucking. Halvorson and Reid then lead a slow march to the end of the album, with each musician adding statements along the way, and Reid taking a prominent plucking solo toward the end of the song. It was the perfect way to bring the set to fruition, allowing each musician to shine as well as serve the rhythm and melody.

This album proves to be another compelling set of compositions from Reid and another outstanding performance from musicians at the top of their game.