The Magic Line

by David R. AdlerColley's fourth album is his first for the path-breaking Arabesque label. Like the earlier This Place, The Magic Line is a trio record that features Chris Potter on saxes and Bill Stewart on drums. But this time the repertoire is entirely original. Colley wrote eight of the 11 tunes, while Potter and Stewart each wrote one and co-wrote the closing two-minute "Epilogue." The music is swingingly precise from the first moments of "Take It and Like It," the opener. Colley and Potter lock in with winding, unpredictable unison lines that bump up against the shifting funk groove; then they veer off into solo space, all three instruments meeting and diverging in a seamless improvisational flow. Similarly elevated interplay animates burning numbers like "Convergence," "Trip to Williamsburg," and "Dog Logic," as well as darker, brooding tracks like "The Magic Line" and "Metropolis." The latter features some of Potter's most substantial bass clarinet work on record. Colley has developed an extraordinary musical bond with these two musicians. It even seems as though Colley's striking and difficult melodies were written specifically for Potter to play. Colley also comes across as a soloist of unparalleled facility and grace.