04/22/12

Sarah Elgeti Quintet
Into the Open
Your Favorite

By Bill Milkowski

An emerging presence in her native Denmark, saxophonist, flutist and composer Sarah Elgeti makes her Stateside splash with this 12-track set. A fluid improviser with bold tone, wide-ranging tastes and a penchant for melody, she also demonstrates a knack for writing harmonies for her frontline partner, alto and baritone saxophonist Marianne Markmann-Eriksen. The evocative “Ringe I Vand” showcases her impressive flute chops alongside Markmann-Eriksen’s bari, while “Blustering Waves” shows her capacity to burn with her Danish crew in uptempo hard-bop mode. Elgeti exudes rare feeling on tenor on the melancholy ballad “But I Wish I Could,” then embraces free jazz on the edgy “Night Moves.” She further distinguishes herself on the rubato “Home,” mellow “Bossa Among the Trees,” lyrical “Out in the Fields,” funky “Downstairs” and smoky, Dexter Gordon-ish ballad “Angelique.”