Tyrone Hill & Elliot Levin 4tet - Soul-Etude (1999)

Recorded at the same sessions as A Fine Intensity (released by CIMP under the name of the Elliott Levin-Tyrone Hill Quartet) and featuring the same musicians, Soul-Etude at times rises to great improvisation and outstanding collective interplay. Released under the name of the Tyrone & Elliott Levin 4tet, the group looks forward by reaching back to older sounds, particularly in the case of trombonist Tyrone Hill. You can hear Roswell Rudd's voice in Hill's approach, his gutsy, raw-edged, sometimes abrasive attack and nasal tone favoring on-the-beat quartertones to a bop-infused aesthetic. The opening Sun Ra tune, "We're Living in a Space Age," is a joy, the trombone and Elliott Levin's tenor saxophone taking the role of the Arkestra's call and response. The other six numbers (each written by members of the quartet) bring out different sides of the band. Levin (who is also an established poet) boasts a unique, individual, and sophisticated style that contrasts with Hill's earthier attack. Bassist Howard Cooper and drummer Ed Watkins play a secondary role, though the changes in tempos and the repetitive rhythms require their impressive talents for the project's success.