Dann Zinn: Two Roads

Bliss. Here is a tenor saxophonist to file next to the great New York-based Israeli tenor saxophonist Oded Tzur. The two players are far from interchangeable: each has their distinct sound and each has their distinct style. But both bring intimacy and solace to the soul, and both beam out a vibe of positivity. Tzur and Dann Zinn have come from various places to arrive at adjacent spots. Tzur's style is steeped in years of study of Indian classical raga. Zinn, who is of Norwegian heritage, has been influenced by Jan Garbarek's folk-inflected work, an attraction which is reflected most clearly on Two Roads in "The Sound Of Ice Melting."

Two Roads is Bay Area player Zinn's sixth album. It was inspired by the Robert Frost poem "A Road Not Taken," which took on greater significance for Zinn after a jogging accident in which he severely injured his right hand. The album was recorded before the accident, which for a long while made it uncertain whether Zinn might ever be able to play the saxophone again (with some adjustments, he can and is). Zinn says that listening back to the tapes during his convalescence helped him find the focus and fortitude with which to accelerate his recovery.

Zinn leads a blinder of a quartet completed by pianist Rachel Z, bassist Jeff Denson and drummer Omar Hakim (augmented by percussionist Brian Rice on two tracks). It is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational band featuring both sexes. The program consists of eight Zinn originals. The superficial difference between Zinn and Tzur's music lies in the extended passages of hard-swinging heat with which Zinn sets off his quieter, gentler moments, which last quality comes to a perfect head on the album's final track, "Prayer Again" (check the YouTube below). The penultimate track "East Bay Punk" is the flipside of "Prayer Again." Tzur is also frequently volcanic, but his swings back and forth across the decibel spectrum usually spin on a dime rather than a couple of choruses.