Search - Marty Ehrlich, Michael Formanek, Peter Erskine :: Relativity

The collective trio, Relativity, comes together on its members' cross-pollinated and considerable strengths. On saxophones, clarinets, and flute, Marty Ehrlich brings a yawning, canyon-wide stretching ability to the table. He can take melodies from somewhere seemingly under one of the pivotal notes and then roll the tune around in his horn, always elongating notes and playing curved statements that wash warmly over the listener. Bassist Michael Formanek finds plenty of room near Ehrlich for his own arco bass (as on the yearning "Round the Four Corners") as well as his more ambulatory side, where the motion of rhythm is paramount. Drummer Peter Erskine, a veteran of fusion, postbop, and so much more, populates every open space tastefully with runs across his kit and small-drum extensions that give the tunes a bustle to match their sometimes subdued moods. Melodies come from the shadows here, sometimes atop Formanek's notes and sometimes from Erskine's exploratory ride cymbals. Each of these musicians has played in wilder settings, but Relativity is a calm stopover, an extended portrait in collaboration that has the players listening intently. Theirs is an irreducible sound. --Andrew Bartlett