Latest releases reviewed

LOUIS SCLAVIS
L'imparfait des langues
ECM
****

French multi-reedman Sclavis surrounds himself here with young players of diverse approaches; it should be all over the place stylistically, particularly with a group so new the paint isn't yet dry, but it works. Free improv, rock guitar, sampling, electronics, funky, swinging echoes of bop, sounds that recall a muezzin's summons to prayer or Aboriginal didgeridoo - all emerge from this exciting band. Sclavis is in top form, especially on bass clarinet, but his real achievement is to have shaped these talented and very different players - Marc Baron (alto), Paul Brousseau (keyboards, sampling, electronics, guitar), Maxime Delpierre (guitar) and François Mervile (drums) - into such an impressively fresh unit. www.musicconnection.org.uk

LARRY WILLIS
Blue Fable
HighNote
****

This is a hard bop session that's anything but run-of-the-mill. Willis is a seasoned veteran, one of those pianists who's been around so long that his quality is taken for granted. Along with astonishingly virtuosic bassist Eddie Gomez and musical and creative drummer Billy Drummond, Willis is part of a dynamic, flexible and mutually responsive trio whose rapport and intensity are often gripping. For half the CD they're joined by the capable trombone of Steve Davis and the astringent Jackie Mclean-type alto of Joe Ford, who solo effectively and add colour to the album. Standouts on a well-crafted disc that breaks no new ground include trio performances of Nardis (taken faster than usual) and an attractive waltz, Who's Kidding Who, as well as the quintet's Blue Fable and Prayer for New Orleans.

http://uk.hmboutique.com

ZOOT SIMS
Plays Alto, Tenor and Baritone
Fresh Sound
****

This is the first time on CD for two mid-1950s Sims albums, Zoot and the eponymous Plays etc, made within a month of each other. Warm and consistent, they're archetypal Zoot Sims, sharing the same rhythm section lead by John Williams (piano). The first is distinguished, inter alia, by a glorious The Man I Love and That Old Feeling. It's equalled by the second, on which Sims, with the help of multi-tracking and excellent charts by George Handy, scoots brilliantly through a programme of the composer's music. In their hands the device is no gimmick, with some beautifully conceived and executed saxophone section writing and high- quality solo work from Sims. Asked to name his favourite album of those he had made, he picked Plays.

www.freshsoundrecords.com