Global Motion

Album Review

Raised in Amsterdam and now a resident of New York City, tenor saxophonist Marc Mommaas has studied with sax titans such as Joe Lovano and David Liebman. With his second outing as a leader, Mommaas displays a penchant for working through linearly devised themes amid a few shrewdly devised digressions along the way. He receives strong support from guitarist Rez Abbasi, and pianist Nikolaj Hess, both serving as sympathetic collaborators here. The saxophonist's compositions include breezy passages atop the often swirling and blustery rhythms provided by bassist John Hebert and drummer Tony Moreno. Hence, Mommaas has aligned himself with good company.

Marked by oscillating flows and a few melodically tinted dreamscapes, the band's tactics also consist of lithely engineered motifs, as the overall concept and execution of this album might spur notions of traversing rolling hills via winding country roads — at an abnormally high speed, that is! Overall, Mommaas possesses a fluid attack, enhanced by a velvety tone and his bop-induced soloing escapades.