Ralph Alessi & This Against That: Look

Only one piece on Look—"Old Beady Eyes, one of four tracks featuring Ravi Coltrane's luminous tenor—goes longer than five-plus minutes. Conventional jazz wisdom says five minutes isn't enough time to clear your throat. Alessi and his associates don't just clear their throats; they clear the decks. "Near Cry sets the tone for Look as Alessi and keyboardist Andy Milne fly formation on the head, establishing a dynamic they return to throughout the disc. Once Alessi starts to solo the band's Monk-like groove gets hotter and his playing gets harder, weirder, and even more compelling than before. You will bob your head to this tune, and it won't be the only time that happens.

Alessi doesn't have the Satchmo-quality high end possessed by Terence Blanchard and Ron Horton. While Alessi lacks power and polish he is rich with expression, both in his playing and his writing. He approximates a flute sound on "Hands, a lovely piece of mellow bebop, while his gravel-coated trumpet flies up and away on "Lap Nap, one of many places where Alessi and Milne solo against each other to make a gorgeous cacophony. "Brown Hat is a hymn to Alessi's late father, but the energy and inspiration driving the piece make it a celebration of life, not a place of mourning.

Milne is astounding, a willing foil and dedicated co-conspirator all the way through: His Morse Code-like riff on "It's Just A Toy sets a beginning and ending place for the piece, while the rest of the band builds a structure that both pleases and amazes. His lines on "Sir come together with Mark Ferber's percussion to create a spiritual Asian aesthetic. Ferber and bassist Drew Gress (who played with Alessi on Caine's Mozart tribute) take full advantage of Alessi's collaborative atmosphere, keeping the foundation both interesting and eventful while making their own solo imprints on the date.

It's a shame Coltrane isn't on every track here: His tenor effortlessly drives pieces like "Old Beady Eyes and "It's Just A Toy, and his interplay with Alessi is breathtaking, particularly when they dance in the clear on the title track. But this disc isn't about individuals, even though the individual performances are brilliant. Look is about harmony—harmony of sound, and harmony of effort, all leading to a sincerely satisfying result.