| 12/01/03 LIBERTY ELLMAN Tactiles (Pi) Guitarist Liberty Ellman follows up his impressive 1998 debut, Orthodoxy,with Tactiles. Fronting a quintet that also includes Greg Osby, Mark Shim and Eric Harland, Ellman and his fine combo run through a thorny set of tunes that are precise as a math equation but weirdly groovy in that free-funk M-base sort of way. Navigating these turbulent waters with ease, Ellman's playing is unpredictable but assured, recalling the willfully imaginative work of Hendry Threadgill, whom Ellman plays with. His tone, however, is that of a pure jazz guitarist; one who's done all the work and possess an inquisitiveness that knows no boundaries. R.I.Y.L.: Jeff Parker, Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman -Tad Hendrickson |