| Saxophonist John Temmerman calls his
ensemble the "Jazz Obsession Quartet". On The Power of Two the leader
and his partners, guitarist Neil Alger, bassist Steven Hashimoto and drummer Rusty Jones
play like four friends who perform the music because they love it, with no pretention or
lofty aims. The recording a laid back, West Coast vibe to it, as opposed to the fiery
gymnastics of be-bop. Temmerman is a lyrical player with a breathy, full tone which liner
note writer and fellow saxist Mark Colby aptly compares to Dexter Gordon. He resists the
urge to double time everything and proves himself adept at creating memorable melodic
lines during his solos.
The quartet runs through twelve tracks, half of
which come from the pen of the leader, including the title track, a mid-tempo swing that
breaks off into several duets featuring drummer Rusty Jones. An interesting way of
breaking up the head/solos/head monotony that infects many jazz recordings. Jones
and guitarist Alger especially seem to have a nice rapport. Check out the way each player
feeds the other ideas in a friendly dialogue on the funk influenced original "Slam
Time". Alger impresses throughout. He has an intrigueing way of adding chords to his
improvisations and his no-frills tone and crisp attack are extremely refreshing.
The Power of Two is a portrait of four
friends who enjoy each other's company and genuinely love this music. They make it on its
own terms, for its own sake.
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