Big Picture

Pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Matt Wilson perform seven intriguing originals on this CD. To simplify the improvising a bit, it hints strongly in spots of Cecil Taylor, the percussiveness of Don Pullen, and of Keith Jarrett's '70s inside/outside music without sounding like a copy of any of those predecessors. The interplay between the three musicians is consistently exciting and, while Melford is the main soloist, Dresser has some spots on bowed bass while Wilson's supportive contributions should not be overlooked. The performances are consistently unpredictable, drawing upon much of jazz history of the past 40 years while creating new and fresh music. This set grows in interest with each listen and contains some of Melford's finest playing to date.