William Parker: bass
Gerald Cleaver: drums
1 .Exosphere
2 .Thermosphere
3 .Troposphere
4 .Mesosphere
All compositions by Joe Morris, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver ;
published by RITI pub (ASCAP)
"These gentlemen are playing at the highest level. Everyone “solos” but they do so with so much empathy, that the proceedings never come close to veering off the tracks. They establish a rhythmic pattern together, search for an elusive melody together, resolve all open-ended ideas together and move onto the next idea together, all while maintaining an overall vibe that stays with them from start to finish. Moreover, each is playing with the level of confidence only the best can display while playing the long form, never running out of things to express. .. Improvised music is far from being a spent force within jazz, and it never will be as long as the virtuosos are playing it. Altitude is a strong case in point."
–S. Victor Aaron, Something Else!
"With a terrific sense of space and a deft articulation that’s highlighted by his unvarnished, reverb-less clean tone, Morris’s phrasing and the intensities of his attack rarely fail to get my blood circulating along with him. .. These players exude such organic flow and effervescent energy without indulging in excess — taking care at each moment to craft statements of complex polyphony that pour out with such rapidity — that it’s hard to take it all in. .. Altitude is another slice of state of the art improvising from these players, and yet more documentation of Morris’s mastery."
–Jason Bivins, Dusted
"The two collectively improvised sets are all about forward motion, all three players enjoying a constant propulsion."
–Shaun Brady, JazzTimes
"These collective improvisations summon a beautiful and otherworldly energy. Unusual, thrilling sounds abound."
–Stewart Smith, The List
"The collective improvisation borders on mind reading at times as wave upon wave of musical ideas flow forth from the trio. .. The music has great heart and intellect and the balance between the two gives the music much of its passionate motion. Cooperation is the key to this very successful recording, with three distinctive voices joining as one to create powerful and thrilling sounds."
–Tim Niland, Music and More
* 4 1/2 Stars *
"It was hot [in the club] that night. But more so, the music was sizzling. Totally recommended."
–Paul Acquaro, Free Jazz
"Piece-by-piece the trio builds their three way dialogue, forgoing the classic model of building tension followed by release. They maintain a constant exchange throughout. The liner notes remark that the player's clothes were soaked through from the effort. Such is the experience of this exhaustingly pleasurable recording."
–Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
"Altitude is intellectual energy music."
–Glen Hall, Exclaim!
Aum Fidelity