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Paul Motian/Chris Potter/Jason MoranLost In A DreamECM 2128AAA 1 /2The most thrilling momentsof this live disc(recorded at the VillageVanguard in February2009) essentially arrive in two tracks: “DrumMusic” and its immediate follower, “Abacus.”Now the idea of “best,” “better,” or “mostthrilling” may seem a childish rating system tosome, but every live performance has its peak.Lost In A Dream explores the compositecerebral nature of this trio,which, by its very lineup, leadsin an analytical, if freewheeling,direction. “Drum Music”and “Abacus,” conversely (oris that perversely?) throw offthe meditative brow for a simple,good- hearted bash. Andthat bash is largely due to themaster himself, Paul Motian.As is often the case, theyounger players on this date seek to fill themselvesup with Motian’s world (and he did composeall the material here, save one track). Butwhen Motian decides to kick in the jams, thesparks fly in less than equal proportions. “DrumMusic” is all plonk, punch and pow, Motianchanneling Zutty Singleton, Chick Webb andperhaps Baby Dodds as Potter and Moran raceto keep up. It’s New Orleans, Kansas City and adrunken child’s playpen rolled into one. Motiansends tom toms reeling: kerplunk! Cymbalssmash, drum rolls dart and dive-bomb in afanatical street parade. The pure drum solovehicle “Abacus” follows suite, Motian jugglingideas like planets colliding and crashing,then soaring into deep space—fresh orbits createdat every turn.—Ken MicallefLost In A Dream: Mode VI, Casino, Lost In A Dream, BlueMidnight, Be Careful It’s My Heart, Birdsong, Ten, Drum Music,Abacus, Cathedral Song. (57:20)Personnel: Paul Motian, drums; Chris Potter, tenor saxophone;Jason Moran, piano.»Ordering info: emcrecords.comAmir ElSaffar/Hafiz ModirzadehRadif SuitePI RECORDINGS 32AAAAThe relationships that AmirElSaffar and Hafez Modirzadehhave with Middle Eastern traditionsare simultaneously morecomplex and more natural than, say, DukeEllington or John Coltrane’s. ElSaffar, who is inhis early 30s, is Iraqi-American, whileModirzadeh, who is more than a decade older,has roots in Iran. Both men have mixed Westernacademic training with traditional apprenticeship,and each has found ways to adapt his hornto the demands of a musical system whosescales and pitches are outside its intended range.With Radif Suite, ElSaffarand Modirzadeh have eachcomposed an extended piecefor quartet that permitsEastern and Western tuningsto coexist. They stand oncommon ground that wasoriginally cleared by OrnetteColeman; their bent pitchesand elastic rhythms are closeenough to his that this quartet could occasionallybe mistaken for the late Coleman repertoryensemble Old & New Dreams. But while thatoutfit looked to Africa to spice up Coleman’smelodies, this combo’s composers prefer toshuttle between Eastern and Western modalities,giving each its due in turn.ElSaffar’s Copper Suite flows easily from afleet bop workout to a time-stopping passage ofArabic singing. On Modirzadeh’s Radif-EKayhan, an Ornette Coleman-ish unison meltsinto a solemn tenor statement essayed over AlexCline’s radiant gongs. Cline’s capacity to shiftbetween swinging grooves and out-of-timewashes of pure sound is essential to the music’ssuccess. Mark Dresser only occasionally assertshis virtuosity, preferring to play exactly what thematerial requires. The result is a sound that isinclusive and compelling. —Bill MeyerRadif Suite: Radif-E Kayhan—Facet One; Facet Two; FacetsThree/Four; Facets Five/Six; Facets Seven/Eight; Facet Nine; FacetTen; Facets Eleven/Twelve. Copper Suite—Introduction: CopperRefraction; Post-Idiomatic Blues/Cells A; Doves Over Zion (DreamOf The Beloved)/Duet Interlude; Uganda/Trio Interlude; Bird OfPrey; Awj/Ancestral Memory; 7 Quintuplets/Triptych/Bass Solo;All Said And Done/Sirens/Reverence. (69:08)Personnel: Hafez Modirzadeh, tenor saxophone; Amir Elsaffar,trumpet, vocal; Alex Cline, drums, gongs; Mark Dresser, bass.Ordering info: pirecordings.com»May 2010 DOWNBEAT 63