By John Janowiak

What happens when four diverse musicians who have never met before go into a studio without prearranged music? When the musicians are Jerry Goodman, Steve Smith, Howard Levy and Oteil Burbridge, it's bound to be an action-packed event. Maybe the resulting songs aren't the sort one would hum in the shower, but they feature impressive displays of instrumental chops, stylistic interplay and polyrhythmic groove churning.

Though this isn't a Chicago band, there's a Chi-town connection in the way of Levy, the locally based multi-instrumentalist who plays a prominent role on this disc. Levy, who can periodically be heard in a harmonica-led acoustic jazz set at the Green Mill, has recorded on a million records, notably with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Here he plays not only harmonica, but also acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes. He even breaks out a double ocarina and a pennywhistle on the final track, lending a mystical air to one of the disc's most hypnotic songs.

The group is led by Smith, who played in the rock group Journey and is also an accomplished jazz drummer. Bassist Burbridge has played with such groups as Aquarium Rescue Unit and the Allman Brothers, and violinist-guitarist Goodman was a member of the legendary fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Mixing sheer improvisation with a good deal of in-studio planning, apparently, the quartet churns out 10 compositions that draw from an array of styles, but generally combine rock-based beats with jazz-oriented solos. Many tunes alternate between two or more styles, beginning with a genteel melody and shifting to more rocked-out sections. "Glimmer of Hope," for example, starts with a lyrical violin line that is one of the disc's most memorable, but when the rock flavor kicks in, the melody sounds a little too close to the "I Want My MTV"
motif for comfort. (I'm guessing the similarity is coincidental.) When they shift back to a more peaceful section, Levy plays an acoustic piano solo that builds to an expressive crescendo.

"Going Up!" sounds like it could be totally improvised. Instrumentally, it's a simple drum and harp duet, but harmonically, it covers a lot of ground, with Levy modulating keys at the speed of thought. Levy does double duty on a few tracks thanks to the magic of overdubbing. On "Caliente," a catchy, Latin-influenced number, he solos on Fender Rhodes as well as harp, and on "Sufferin' Catfish" it's harp and acoustic piano. In the harp solo, Levy repeats a pattern evocative of Charlie Parker's "Ornithology," but in an almost country-like context. Whether
expressing himself on keys or harp, Levy plays with a sense of time that's always right on the money.

"Four Four and More" and "Pinky's Revenge" are instances of the offset rhythms that pop up here and there. For the casual listener, such herky-jerky explorations might be tough to swallow. So I'm guessing this disc will be more popular among instrumentalists, especially drummers, who will delight in hearing Smith's palette of musical styles. Also, it will appeal to keyboardists and harmonicists who are looking for inspiration from one of Chicago's very own.

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