The latest CD releases reviewed

LOREN STILLMAN
Blind Date Pirouet ****

At 27, alto saxophonist and composer Loren Stillman is unique. His music, cerebral yet warm and lyrical, is meticulously wrought; as writer

and improviser, he can encompass unusual interval and rhythm leaps with flowing ease. Its constantly changing contours, epitomised in the aptly titled Shape Shifter, are impressive, as are the balance of structure and freedom of Don't Be Too Nice, the absence of superfluous gesture in Blind Date, the delightful interweaving of piano and alto of Major. Stillman's superb quartet, with Gary Versace (piano), Drew Gress (bass) and Joey Baron (drums), adds to the music's sense of wholeness and surprise. And, for all his cool, considered understatement, he can summon up heat when required, unfazed by such strong personalities as Gress and Baron in the trio setting of Theme for a New Regime. www.pirouetrecords.com  RAY COMISKEY

DAVE BARRY
Precious Time Trio ***

Barry is one of the best British drummers around, with a gilt- edged CV, but this crisp, high- calibre hard bop quintet album is his first as leader. It strikes an effective balance between contrast and unity in the diverse front-line voices of Steve Waterman (trumpet), John Donaldson (piano) and an in-form Don Weller (tenor), with Arnie Samogyi (bass) completing a powerful rhythm section. Typical of the thought and skill involved is the fact that the material (seven by Barry and two by Weller) avoids over-reliance on the unison staples of hard bop lines, while giving soloists of this quality plenty of meat. None is nourished better than Weller, whose distinctive, expressively vocalised playing is outstanding, even in this company. Hard bop aficionados should love it. www.triorecords.co.uk   RAY COMISKEY

EST
Live in Hamburg ACT ****

Once Esbjorn Svensson's trio found a collective voice and took on some rock elements nearly a decade ago, a formula emerged. The music remained interesting - the pianist, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström are too good for it to be otherwise. But its subtlety and capacity to surprise diminished; the albums became indistinguishable from each other. With seven pieces first recorded on last year's Tuesday Wonderland, one each from 2001 and 1999, only one new item, and their trademark devices (ostinato, idiosyncratic electronics, repetition) on show, this latest double-CD is archetypal EST Yet, of their style, it's definitely the one to have; the music has a visceral edge and a sense of discovery and joy in playing that carries it through the occasional self-indulgences of long performances. www.actmusic.com  RAY COMISKEY