The Widow in the Window

It is easy to forget that even though the "Young Lions" shaped jazz history during the 1980s and '90s, mature artists were making magnificent music, thoroughly informed by tradition but not in the least enslaved by it. Canadian-English trumpet and flügelhorn player Kenny Wheeler's The Widow in the Window is a good example of a veteran player whose lyrical artistry has been too often underappreciated. Performed by the core of his Large Ensemble--pianist John Taylor and guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Peter Erskine--compositions like the title cut and "Ma Belle Helene" typify Wheeler's ability to write beautiful, romantic music that never descends into mere prettiness. Wheeler's horns and Abercrombie's guitar appear to float above the rhythm section's swinging sensitivity, and yet there is a muscularity that prevents the ensemble from drifting off into the ether. Recorded after Wheeler's celebrated orchestral recording and an 11-date tour, the recording reflects the result of increased exposure that five giant talents had to each other on the road. Here, they meld into one brilliant voice. (Note to Abercrombie fans: this CD contains some of the guitarist's finest recorded straight-ahead playing.) --Michael Ross