The Next Step
The Next Step shows how a clear group identity can offer more than four musicians taking accomplished solos. Kurt Rosenwinkel plays with saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Ben Street and drummer Jeff Ballard. Guitar and saxophone continually seek one another out, while the rhythm section leaves room for the music to move in different directions.
Zhivago begins with guitar alone. Melodic lines and chords establish a distinctive atmosphere before the group joins. Rosenwinkel's processed tone stays warm enough to draw you close but retains a slight strangeness. Its connection with Turner's saxophone is particularly interesting: the voices sometimes sit close together, then separate again.
Minor Blues gives the quartet a clear melody and more momentum. There is plenty of room for improvisation without losing the recognisable starting point. On A Shifting Design, a freer opening develops into tighter ensemble playing. Ballard's responses help keep the changes light and mobile.
The group can increase the pressure too. Filters features rapid exchanges and answering phrases. Its strength comes from shared direction: the musicians follow the same movement even when their lines do not fall together exactly.
The title track provides another colour as Rosenwinkel moves to piano. A darker atmosphere and the exchange with saxophone make that change musically convincing. It feels like an expansion of the record.
The longer pieces do require attention to development and detail. Listeners mainly seeking instantly singable themes may not follow every detour as easily. Yet The Next Step remains clear enough to hear the connections. It is accomplished guitar playing within a quartet that shapes ideas collectively, with melodies that stay present after the improvisations have moved on.
