An All-Star Crew, but Sadly Not on the Same CD

Sometimes, as I look at the new albums streaming in, each plastic box filled with hopes and dreams, the first thought that comes to mind is, “What kind of album could some of these players make if they briefly set aside their leadership ambitions and simply went into the studio together?� After all, some of the finest, most memorable recordings in jazz history were made by combinations such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Max Roach and Bud Powell, by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans.

Which is not to minimize the fine work on many new albums. But the fantasy of an “all-star� get-together is hard to avoid when albums show up, almost simultaneously, from the likes of Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Ron Carter, Terence Blanchard and Jeff “Tain� Watts. Now there’s a band.

“Time Is of the Essence� (***, Verve) from saxophonist Michael Brecker comes fairly close to actually assembling an all-star congregation. With Pat Metheny on guitar, Larry Goldings on organ and the drum chair occupied, alternately, by Watts, Elvin Jones and Bill Stewart, the lineup has a distinctly superlative quality. But what actually happens is that the album has a distinctively segmented quality. The three drummers, dissimilar in style, move the music in different directions.

Brecker, who manages to be infinitely versatile without losing his own musical identity, adapts well to each: passionately interactive with Jones; subtle, even slightly humorous with Stewart; hard-driving with Watts. Metheny and Goldings handle their relatively supportive roles skillfully, with the guitarist revealing the sort of solid, straight-ahead skills not always apparent on his own recordings.

Ron Carter’s “Orfeu� (***, Blue Note) displays the veteran bassist in a Brazilian mode. Rather than follow the familiar course of using Brazilian players, however, Carter took his key musicians to Rio to spend time listening and interfacing with local artists. The result is a hybrid album, one that maintains its jazz integrity while tapping into Brazilian rhythms not always heard in a jazz environment.

But this otherwise appealing CD--with its fine contributions by tenor saxophonist Houston Person, guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Stephen Scott--has two small problems. The first is the relative lack of solo space for Carter, a particularly imaginative improviser, whose work on “Samba de Orfeu� affords a too brief glance at his skills. The second is the album’s relatively short running time, checking in at well under 50 minutes--a bit meager for a jazz CD in today’s market.

Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, always willing to try something new, opts for a fairly straight-ahead outing, with a few lighthearted overtones in “Nick@Night� (***, Verve). But Payton wisely avoids relying solely upon tunes based on trumpet and tenor saxophone blues statements, with pieces such as “Captain Crunch (Meets the Cereal Killer),� the lovely ballad “Faith� and the lushly harmonized “Little Angel.� And on “Pleasant Dreams,� as well as the title track, he makes it clear that, even on a trumpet and tenor unison tune, he can come up with a memorable line.

Still only 26, Payton plays with an extraordinary degree of confident maturity. Tim Warfield, joining him in the front line, again reveals that he has received too little recognition as one of the finest of the large crop of new tenor saxophonists. And frequent Payton associate Anthony Wonsey on piano anchors a fine rhythm section that also includes bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Adonis Rose.

Guitarist John Abercrombie inhabits a far different jazz arena. On “Open Land� (*** 1/2, ECM), he is joined by an unusually diverse ensemble in a program that elects to float above wavelike surges of rhythm, rather than be driven by the more typical drum-heavy groove of late ‘90s jazz. Many of the pieces seem to hang suspended in time for long, breathtaking moments before drummer Adam Nussbaum, often relying on stark cymbal accents, drives the time forward. The other soloists--tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano (playing superbly), resourceful violinist Mark Feldman, veteran trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and organist Dan Wall, laying down a lush foundation--all perform at remarkably high levels. What emerges is music that doesn’t hit you over the head to make its point. But it is music worth hearing, perhaps requiring several hearings to access the full content of these creatively dense but immensely engaging performances.

Speaking of all-stars, Jeff “Tain� Watts has come up with quite an assemblage for his debut CD, “Citizen Tain� (*** 1/2, Columbia). Calling on friends and associates, he has managed to include three Marsalis brothers (Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo), saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Reginald Veal and, perhaps most impressively, the late Kenny Kirkland on piano, who plays with the sort of enthusiasm and creativity that underline the tragedy of his departure.

Among some very effective soloing from Watts and the others, the most gripping track is the opening performance of “The Impaler.� Wynton Marsalis’ trumpet chorus is particularly loose and free-flowing, the work of a confident and mature artist; and it is matched by Branford Marsalis’ tenor solo--far different in style, yet every bit as compellingly done.

But this is not simply a players’ album. Watts has clearly worked hard on his compositions, and they are filled with evidence of a first-class musical intelligence. “Muphkin Man� is a sprightly line with the feeling of a soul jazz classic; “Blutain, Jr.,� revisiting an earlier work, shows that the blues can be effective with only six notes; “Wry Koln� takes off from Ornette Coleman, and proceeds whimsically from there; and “Attainment� and “Pools of Amber� are beautifully framed ballads.