December 2009

Alex Terrier New York Quartet
Round Trip
Barking Cat

By Bill Milkowski

On the burning title track, Parisian-born saxophonist Alex Terrier comes out of the gate wailing on alto, with pianist Roy Assaf, bassist Francois Moutin and drummer Steve Davis providing interactive sparks along the way. They settle into more reflective terrain on “The Spirit Will Not Descend Without a Song” and the poignant “Departure,” then tackle the rhythmic puzzle “E.S.B. and Ecstasy.” Terrier is a compelling balladeer on tenor on “Song for Keli” and a first-rate composer on the stirring suite “Le Miroir Des Anges Deguises,” the lyrical “Tompkins Square” and the frantic closer, “The Dark Side of Democracy.”