Nourishments (feat. Rudresh Mahanthappa, Michael Dessen, Denman Maroney, Tom Rainey & Michael Sarin)

First hitting the jazz scene in the ‘80s as Anthony Braxton’s bassist, Mark Dresser had already been trained in a wide variety of modern and classical theory and technique. As with much of his oeuvre, there’s a lot of intellectual heavy lifting done on *Nourishments* with the use of shifting time signatures, a detuned “hyperpiano,” and the players’ own substantial chops. Here he’s joined by alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, trombonist Michael Dessen, pianist Denman Maroney, and alternating drummers Tom Rainey and Michael Sarin. For those who don’t want to get bogged down in the intricacies of complicated time signatures (the swing feel applied to “Aperitivo” and elsewhere is beyond impressive), the horns in particular offer solace. They wind in and out of each other (“Telemojo”), play some nice bits in unison (“Not Withstanding”), and share some lovely melodies. The tonal shading of “Canales Rose,” the ballad “Para Waltz” (featuring Maroney in particular), and the Monk-like title track are softer, though still challenging in their own ways.