Kenji Lee's Fortune Teller Trio: Kyūdō

Detroit-based tenor saxophonist Kenji Lee brings a heady concept to his latest release, Kyūdō. Drawing inspiration from the practice of Japanese archery, Lee sees his music as a pathway to spiritual growth, a process in which technical mastery and an abiding aesthetic sensibility are conjoined. Harnessing the sympathetic partnership of his colleagues, bassist Andy Peck and drummer Jonathan Barahal Taylor, Lee offers fourteen evocative tracks in which skillful musicianship and sublime beauty go hand-in-hand.

The majority of the album cuts are Lee compositions; they run an impressive gamut, from pile-driving, rock-inflected dynamos such as "Deth's Breth" and "Agate," to much more rarefied fare such as "Empty Cup" and "You Have Something Special," both of which revel in the saxophonist's rich melodicism and stately elegance. Vocalist Estar Cohen adds to three relatively short tracks, with her ecstatic wordless exclamations pushing Lee into his most exploratory terrain on the album. Add a gorgeous cover of Ornette Coleman's "Chanting" and a searching interpretation of Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 9 (Adagio)," and Lee has a colorful and diverse palette with which to showcase his abilities.

Peck and Taylor also deserve mention for their contributions, as they are remarkably agile in working their way through such a varied set of tunes. Peck's sensitivity on the pensive "Amphibian" is noteworthy, but he can establish a relentless groove as well, even switching to electric bass on "Agate" to bring some added punch. And when Taylor is not rocking out on the heavier cuts, he also possesses a panoply of approaches, from spartan support during Lee's abstract musings on "Budō" to a loose-limbed, swinging groove on "Empty Cup."

Given the album's broad expanse of idioms and emotional registers, there are moments here in which it would be good to hear Lee settle into one of them and explore it at greater length, The brevity of many of the tracks and the sheer diversity of styles on display diminishes the music's cohesiveness to a degree, but Lee has amply demonstrated his ability to do it all here, enough to make a convincing case that he will be worth following in future, especially if he narrows his focus a bit more on his future releases.

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