Carola Grey - The Age Of Illusions (1994)

Drummer Carola Grey's latest effort is most impressive not so much for her drumming (which is consistently excellent) but for her compositions (six of the eight performed) and the variety of moods and instrumentation that she utilizes throughout this date. The music ranges from the opening straightahead blues "Philosophy," the heated "Aldo Thin Suar" (which finds the horns jamming together in heated fashion) and the moody ballad "The Colour We Create" (a feature for Ravi Coltrane's mature tenor) to the funky "The Age of Illusions" (featuring Mike Stern's guitar and Peter Epstein's passionate soprano), the postbop trio outing "Waltz for Gina" and the loose blues "Attitudes." Virtually every musician (which also includes trumpeter Ralph Alessi) gets an opportunity to star (the percussionists dominate "Columbus King") and yet no one overstays their welcome. Since Grey also arranged the music, she deserves full credit for this stimulating session's success. -- Scott Yanow