6 Dialogues

by Rick Anderson

Saxophonist Trevor Watts and pianist

Veryan Weston

have been playing together off and on for over 20 years, and their individual careers have taken them on wild and differing trajectories through the British jazz, classical, and free improv scenes.6 Dialogues is Watts' first improvisational studio recording in roughly 25 years, but on this album he and

Weston

sound as if they've been improvising together actively throughout that period. Their rapport on the spiky-but-pretty "Unrest Assured" is amazing, as is the way they play together around a set of mid-range tones during the opening segment of "Blending & Bending." Elsewhere, what catches the attention is Watts' technical brilliance, which is showcased especially nicely on the breathtakingly virtuosic "Split Frequencies" (on which he plays soprano saxophone). This stuff isn't for everyone, of course, but those with a taste for adventurous but artful improvisation will find plenty to enjoy with this album.