Scott Colley - Initial Wisdom (2002)

Since his arrival in New York City back in the late '80s, jazz bassist Scott Colley has risen through the ranks in rather expeditious fashion. As of early 2002, the artist has already appeared on over 100 albums, including sessions with saxophonists Joe Lovano and Greg Osby, pianist Andrew Hill, and many others of note. With his third solo effort, Colley garners the services of the monstrously talented drummer Bill Stewart, while saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and guitarist Adam Rogers round out this superstar-like quartet. Unfortunately, the results prove to be somewhat mixed. The first three pieces are comprised of loosely organized funk and swaggering swing grooves amid a few uneventful extended-note choruses by Coltrane, who performs on tenor and soprano saxophones throughout. In some instances, the saxophonist seems as though he is running on autopilot, while Rogers offers some redemption thanks to a few superbly constructed electric guitar solos. The quartet's upbeat rendition of Ornette Coleman's "Alpha" signifies a shift in strategy. Whereas the band revisits the loping pace witnessed earlier on the recording, during "Trouble in Paradise" the differentiator resides within Coltrane and Rogers' engagingly memorable unison lines. Stewart kicks up a storm on "Barracuda"; however, three or four solid works cannot salvage the majority of this mildly disappointing effort -- especially when viewed in its entirety.