May 25–June 1, 2000

critic pick|jazz

Greg Osby Five

Once, when Thelonious Monk was asked to define his aim in modern music, he famously replied: "To use notes differently." One hears echoes of this dictum in Jim Hall’s impression of alto saxophonist Greg Osby. "He uses unique phrases," Hall says, "or uses them in unique ways."

The distinction here is that while Monk would often hinge a solo on a single note (finger stabbing resolutely at an ivory key), Osby deals more with the currency of phrases — scraps of melodic intent. His playing reveals a host of influences, yet never sounds quite like anyone else. Even the stock riffs in his arsenal are products of his own invention.

At 39, Osby is neither a young phenom nor a towering senior and the ambiguity allows him some freedom. The Invisible Hand, his latest Blue Note entry, features two certifiable elder statesmen (guitarist Jim Hall and pianist Andrew Hill) and three peers, making Hand one of Osby’s strongest and most accessible recorded efforts. That his burnished intensity is balanced by thoughtfulness and tact could be attributed to the presence of Hall (a paragon of economy; consult his solo on "Nature Boy") and Hill (whose duos with the leader convey a lovely sparseness). But it also has to do with Osby’s own development. The saxophonist’s voice is unmistakably mature.

The Greg Osby Five currently features Jason Moran on piano, Liberty Ellman on guitar, Derrek Phillips on bass, and Jashon Jackson on drums. This band’s live performances are probably less brilliantly cohesive than those on The Invisible Hand (primarily because Ellman is Not Jim Hall), but they have a refreshing way of arriving at unexpected places. At a recent New York gig, a playfully skittish "Jitterbug Waltz" led to a witty treatise on Monk. The set took the shape of a nightclub suite, with Osby’s alto threading each song into the next.

—Nate Chinen

Greg Osby Five, Fri., May 26 & Sat., May 27, 9 and 11 p.m., Zanzibar Blue, Broad and Walnut Sts., $20, 215-732-4500.