Saxophone Summit: Visitation

Here’s what this album suggests at various times: the soundtrack to a dark, slow-moving suspense film; an orchestra tuning up; six musicians practicing simultaneously in different rooms; a tedious sensitivity-training class; insistent conversation. According to a liner note, the focus is on “original compositions that suggest open rhythmic, harmonic and textural flows.” Whatever that means, it doesn’t yield swing. The Summiteers include some of the greatest jazzmen on the current scene: saxophonists Dave Liebman (soprano), Ravi Coltrane (tenor and soprano) and Joe Lovano (tenor, G soprano and alto clarinet), pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart. Each musician contributes a composition, making the possibilities for a blowing session nil.