This is a consistently fascinating set by altoist Oliver Lake's String Project. Best known for his exploratory flights, Lake is an underrated arranger/composer. For the unusual but consistently fascinating effort, he utilizes a string quartet (violinist Ashley Horne and Sandra Billingslea, Ashley Horne on viola, and cellist Eileen Folson) for five of his six originals, occasionally adding bassist Belden Bullock and (on one song apiece) trumpeter Kenyatta Beasley (during the well-titled "Fan Fare Bop") and Neil Clarke on conga. The music is adventurous but quite coherent, often rhythmic and melodic but very open to advanced ideas. These string players can definitely stretch out; improvised sections coincide closely with written passages, so it is sometimes difficult to know which are which. Lake keeps his solo statements concise, tempering his fire with the desire to blend in with the strings. For variety, the leader is absent on the title cut, a fairly outside duet by violinist Regina Carter and pianist Donal Fox. Overall, this is a CD that rewards repeated listenings and is one of the highlights of Oliver Lake's productive career. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
1. Fan Fare Bop
2. Aztec Two
3. Movement Turns & Switches
4. Reminds Me
5. Input
6. Masaai Moves
OLIVER LAKE alto saxophone
EILEEN FOLSON cello
NEIL CLARKE congas
BELDEN BULLOCK double bass
DONAL FOX piano
KENYATTA BEASLEY trumpet
MAXINE ROACH viola
ASHLEY HORNE violin
REGINA CARTER violin
SANDRA BILLINGSLEA violin
All composiciones by Oliver Lake
Recorded July 10 and December 10, 1996 at Bloomfield College Auditorium Seltzer Sound Studio, NY
Passin' Thru Records – 41210