Swiss-born trombonist Samuel Blaser has been carving out a name for himself over the last five years with his own ensembles, in collaboration with drummer Pierre Favre, and in a quartet with Paul Motian recorded a year before the drummer's death. This recent live recording captures Blaser in particularly virtuosic company alongside guitarist Marc Ducret, bassist B�nz Oester, and drummer Gerald Cleaver.

Over the course of an hour-long set, the four traverse the leader's four-part suite, which provides thematic material and bridge structures for constantly evolving post-bop explorations. The leader effectively mines the complete range of his horn, from the dark growling bottom end to the clarion upper reaches, delivering lithe lines with a full-bodied tone and fluidly darting phrasing. Ducret, always a resourceful partner, provides a perfect foil, with snarling guitar that snaps and buzzes one minute, moving to hanging shimmering processed chords in other sections. Their constant give-and-take is a defining character of the ensemble. Oester's bubbling bass lines move effortlessly from melodic counterpoint to tumbling, propulsive anchor playing off of Cleaver's drums. And with Cleaver on board, one can count on a charged free energy driving the ensemble, whether kicking things with a brawny backbeat or providing slashing accents in the open sections of the piece.

The four synch together throughout, whether collectively navigating the leader's compositional frameworks, or breaking out into solos and various sub-groupings. This is music with a clear ensemble sound built from savvy listening freely drawing from rollicking energy, harmonic sophistication, melodic invention, and spontaneous interaction.