Reuben Hoch and Time: Of Recent Time

Drummer Reuben Hoch takes his trio on a tour of straight-ahead jazz with Of Recent Time, providing an opportunity for each of the three artists to stretch out creatively over familiar terrain. The songs are by Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter, Brad Mehldau, Ornette Coleman and Steve Kuhn, but the trio interprets them with fresh motivation.

Hoch doesn't just keep time, he colors each piece with suitable textures and peppers each refrain with lively motion. The session takes on a flowing ambience that runs seamlessly over mainstream territory.

Pianist Don Friedman interprets with a lyrical glow. His gentle acoustic creations run primarily through his right hand and rely on melody for their charm. Bassist Ed Schuller, who solos frequently with a fascinating outlook, provides a powerful foundation for the session that adds harmony on top of an eloquently designed layer of rhythm. He walks the bass and saunters casually to relate changing moods.

The drummer's "Ballad for Nori comes with deep emotion in a somber affair of the heart. Friedman's "Flamands rocks with a blues-drenched outlook that sails comfortably. Most of the session finds the trio driving with a laid-back approach that allows their performance to breathe naturally. Reuben Hoch and Time draw upon an established circle of musical adventures to broaden the scope and to say it with class in the straight-ahead world.