Wiry Strong

Trumpeter and composer Ralph Alessi is well known as a side man: he’s worked with alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, pianist Uri Caine, pianist Fred Hersch, and many others. In 2011 he released Wiry Strong with his quintet, This Against That. The group has a strong lineup: Alessi, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, pianist Andy Milne, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Mark Ferber. Alessi’s pieces mix post-bop with free jazz and modernist composition. *Wiry Strong* also has a series of ensemble-penned interludes: “Clown Painting” and “Pudgy” are eerie, atmospheric efforts, while “Racy Banter” and “Celebrity Golf Classic” toot and clatter in appealing ways. “A Dollar in Your Shoe” swings hard, features nice trumpet work by the leader, and Coltrane’s tenor sax sounds gorgeous. “Mira” finds the group successfully operating in a slow, mellow mode. The album closes with the title cut where Alessi and the rhythm section start things off before Coltrane and Milne enter and enrich the proceedings. The piece is both lush and noisy and that’s a good thing.