Clark Sommers: WaBaSH

Wabash is the name of a river in Indiana and Illinois, an avenue in Chicago and, what is most relevant to this recording, the name of the quartet that performs on the avenue, a respectable group led by bassist Clark Sommers.

Sommers' WaBaSH ensemble varies from the quartet norm in that two of its members, John Wojciechowski and Geof Bradfield, are saxophonists (who double on flute and bass clarinet, respectively). The group's fourth member is drummer Dana Hall. Sommers wrote half of the album's 10 tunes, which serve for the most part as modest launching pads for extended solos by Wojciechowski and Bradfield. Wojciechowski composed two songs, Bradfield and Hall one apiece. The remaining theme is Dave Brubeck's amiable jazz standard, "In Your Own Sweet Way."

Several numbers are transposed on the album jacket. Listeners will note that the correct sequence is Hall's second solo bass number ("Bass Intro II," track seven), followed by his "That Was Then," "In Your Own Sweet Way" and Wojciechowski's playful closing theme, "Ornette-Type-Tune." Brubeck's graceful "Own Sweet Way" reminds us that charming melody and harmony are still alive and well.

Wojciechowski plays alto sax most of the way, soprano on his showpiece—Hall's Middle-Eastern-influenced "Kasbah"—and flute (alongside Bradfield's bass clarinet) on the latter's pensive "Contemplation." While little on this comfortable session jumps out as extraordinary, these gentlemen are seasoned pros who have been performing together for more than two decades. There is more depth here than may meet the ear on first listen.