Daniel Carter, Roy S. Campbell Jr. & William Parker - Other Dimensions in Music (2018)

Despite their involvement with the downtown New York avant-jazz crowd, multi-reedist Daniel Carter, trumpeter Roy Campbell, and bassist William Parker probably play in a pensive, straightforward manner just as often as they play free. For examples, look no further than the loose, driving grooves on such high-profile releases as Campbell's It's Krunch Time and Parker's Painter's Spring. Other Dimensions in Music's self-titled release also finds these three players, along with drummer Rashid Bakr, improvising in a relaxed, rather conventional manner. Most of Bakr's playing stays in a consistent tempo, while Parker plucks away in a style that's not far from bop. Above them, Carter and Campbell circle around each other with lines that, while not exactly straightforward, aren't cacophonous either. The only major exception here is "Sidu Chant for Sly Stone," which features pounding, tom-heavy drumming and wild vocalizations. Listeners hoping to hear dense, visceral playing should avoid Other Dimensions in Music, but it won't disappoint listeners interested in these players' lighter sides.