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with intensity on “Apples,” which has a morehard-boppish feel; Sheldon Brown’s tenorshows sensitivity and guts. The economy ofJohnson’s writing is tested on the title track,which aims a ballad waltz at some big-bandvoicings, with success—here’s sweetnesswithout sticky sentimentality.Smith Dobson V’s drumming is poisedand relaxed, without any explosive tight-fistedness,and Devin Hoff is one of the mostimpressive musicians on the West Coast. Butthe biggest treat comes in the form of BenGoldberg’s clarinet playing, which continuesto grow in depth. Goldberg’s fantastic triodisc Plays Monk (with Hoff and ScottAmendola) was one of the best records of2007. Here he’s just glorious, with everythingthat makes a creative clarinetist memorable,which means he emphasizes the wood.And as much weight as his sound carries, sodoes his sense of lyrical invention. Right outof the box, on “Be The Frog,” he’s there withso much to offer, and when he and Brownsquare off for an unaccompanied dialogue, itis potent while retaining a degree of reserve.As for Johnston’s own playing, it definitelymerits attention. He’s got chops in thebrave new world of trumpet (Axel Dörner toPeter Evans), as he shows on “Broken,” buthe’s a melodically driven player who can inthe course of the same track evoke JoeMcPhee and nod at deep funk. Someone towatch, on trumpet, of course, but as a composerand bandleader as well.—John CorbettThe Edge Of The Forest: Be The Frog; Foggy; Cabin 5;Broken; Apples; The Edge Of The Forest; Sippin’ With Lou.(59:48)Personnel: Darren Johnston, trumpet; Ben Goldberg, clarinet;Sheldon Brown, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Devin Hoff,bass; Smith Dobson V, drums; Rob Reich, accordion (2).»Drummers never thrive, after all, in low gear,and this gives him license to fly. Pérez is themain counterweight, and rides DeJohnettewith a punchy, two-fisted dissonance, seasonedwith aggressive vamps. He alsoengages Patitucci in an arresting sequence ofclose-quarter trade-offs before turning backto DeJohnette, who keeps the undertowchurning.Accompanying the CD is a 25-minuteDVD informally documenting the ruralCatskill session. The conviviality conveys asense of fun not always apparent in themusic.—John McDonoughMusic We Are: Tango African; Earth Prayer; Seventh D 1stMovement; Seventh D 2nd Movement; Soulful Ballad;Earth Speaks; Cobilla; Panama Viejo; White; Ode to MJQ;Mitchel. (62:32)Personnel: Danilo Pérez, piano, keyboard; John Patitucci,basses; Jack DeJohnette, drums, melodica.»Ordering info: cleanfeed-records.comOrdering info: goldenbeams.netCDs»Otis TaylorPentatonic Wars And Love SongsTortoiseBeacons Of AncestorshipCRITICS»Jack DeJohnette/John Patitucci/Danilo PérezMusic We AreDarren JohnstonThe Edge Of The ForestThe HOT BoxCritics’ CommentsOtis Taylor, Pentatonic Wars And Love SongsWho knew his hidden inspiration would turn out to be Astral Weeks? The repeated phrases and flowinggrooves create a mystical feel, and Taylor’s gruff voice is convincing throughout. At some points the mercurialnature of the tunes makes the program seem somewhat wan, but one thing’s certain: he ain’t your typicalblues dude.—Jim MacnieTake a dream team with Moran, Waits, Miles et al. and give them absolutely nothing to work with. Thesongs have no formal tension, don’t change, and as a result everyone sounds like he’s noodling. Taylor has awarm Taj Mahal-ish voice and still isn’t singing the everyday blues, but he can’t get out of first gear so thePentatonic Wars end in a stalemate.—John CorbettTaylor voices a catalog of life’s laments with empathy in original tunes sometimes closer to BruceSpringsteen’s blue collar temper than the blues form. Daughter Cassie projects a warm, country vulnerabilityon “Sunday Morning.” Back up band is excellent, with Jason Moran bubbling to the top more than once,especially on “Young Girl Down The Street.”—John McDonoughTortoise, Beacons Of AncestorshipI love how these guys take vernacular vocabulary—flamenco, slamming backbeats, wah-wah bass guitar,Duane Eddy twang, industrial clanking—then recombine it into their own codes. Intellectual populism at theDNA level—and always highly listenable.—Paul de BarrosConstantly in motion but going nowhere, this whirlpool of disembodied techno synthetica pounds simultaneouslyon both one’s ear and one’s patience. Press kit shovels on the praise with words like “lo-fi noise …processed … robotic.” All true enough, but hardly words of praise where I come from. —John McDonoughTortoise has everything you need to make it the greatest indie band in the world. But culling the sum of theparts is not always enough for the Chicago band, and on record their main problem is one of over-reaching.In the most stripped-down passages, Beacons is the perfect mix of tensile strength and instrumental-rockintelligence.—John CorbettJack DeJohnette/John Patitucci/Danilo Pérez, Music We AreWhite-hot trio interplay (“Seventh D,” both movements) with especially wonderful Pérez (“Earth Speaks”)offset by startlingly weak free improvisations and droll melodica-centered songs. When all six of them areplaying at once (each man his own partner), everyone seems to be trying to make space for his doppelganger,which makes for a clumsy match of mixed-doubles.—John CorbettA melodica here, some bowed bass there—its potpourri vibe gets a little frustrating after a while. But thechemistry that each of these vignettes comprises is flatly amazing, and the trio’s deep interaction creates athrough line for the zig-zagging agenda.—Jim MacnieI want to like this so much better than I do, especially after seeing the companion DVD, but for all the earnest,sensitive interaction, the music rarely takes off. “Panama Viejo” cuts to deep melancholy and “Ode to MJQ”is smartly minimalist, but the rest comes off as slightly precious, even sentimental. —Paul de BarrosDarren Johnston, The Edge of the ForestJohn John Jim PaulMcDonough Corbett Macnie de BarrosAAAA AA AAA AAA 1 /2A AAA AAA 1 /2 AAAAAAA AAA AAA 1 /2 AAAAAAA AAAA AAAA AAAAThree old horns find unexpectedly eccentric new voices in this soft-spoken mischief. There is an acerbiccharm and emotional detachment at work that is cool, consistent, smartly calculated and positioned just sobetween straight jazz (“Apples”) and uneasy awkwardness. The ensembles often have a lovely quirky elegance.Worth the risk.—John McDonoughIt bubbles with exciting improv passages, it swings in about six singular ways, and it sends a message: outmusic is lots of fun. The trumpeter brings a nice élan to the performances, and in several spots the tunes tilttoward that wondrous plane John Carter’s ensembles worked on.—Jim MacnieWow! Son of Dave Douglas in a killer pianoless quintet with the chipper, slit-it-wide-open vibe of the DaveHolland classic Conference Of The Birds. Johnston’s all over the horn, smearing and sliding, but with crystalclearideas. The constant swarm of horn lines keeps interest high. Jumpy, sometimes whimsical music withlots of breaks in the time, doubled-up solos and great writing.—Paul de BarrosAugust 2009 DOWNBEAT 49