''PoZest'' is an album by saxophonist

Marshall Allen Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and EWI (an electronic valve instrument made by Steiner, Crumar company). Allen is best ...

. It was recorded at The Spirit Room in Rossie, New York on May 10 and 11, 1999, and was released in 2000 by

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

. On the album, Allen is joined by Lou Grassi's PoBand, featuring

Perry Robinson Perry Morris Robinson (September 17, 1938 – December 2, 2018) was an American jazz clarinetist and composer. He was the son of composer Earl Robinson. Early life and education Robinson was born and grew up in New York City. He attended the Le ...

(clarinet), Paul Smoker (trumpet),

Steve Swell Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. Music career Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his m ...

(trombone),

Wilber Morris Wilber Morris (November 27, 1937 - August 8, 2002) was an American jazz double bass player and bandleader. He was the brother of the cornetist, composer, and conductor Butch Morris.Allmusic/ref> Wilber Morris recorded widely, and performed with ...

(bass), and Grassi (drums).

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, David Dupont wrote: "This session very much belongs to the ensemble as a whole, with the honored guest taking his place within the ensemble." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' stated that Allen blends with the "dry, slightly academic sound" of the PoBand "rather well," and commented: "On '(Midnight) Blues', the horn-lines are trenchant but contemplative. 'Bird Symphony' and 'LouRa' are different kinds of ensemble piece, the former a sprawling, intense thing, the latter more upbeat and affirmative. Allen isn't a showy or conventionally expressive soloist, but he commands." Glenn Astarita, writing for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, called the album "a slightly boisterous yet heartfelt convergence of acute musical minds at work," and remarked that on "Bird Symphony," "Allen's raspy phrasing on alto sax amid Grassi and Morris' rolling and tumbling rhythms provide a solid forum for engaging group dialogue and brisk interplay." One Final Note's Scott Hreha wrote: "there's not much fault to find here. An excellent document of a multifaceted ensemble, PoZest enters another quality notch in Allen's extra-Arkestral discography and captures a pivotal moment of development for Grassi's primary musical outlet." John Murph of

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

singled out "(Midnight) Blues" for praise, commenting: "It's here that you can really hear beauty in the individual voices, and more importantly, free jazz's collective improvisation linkage to Dixieland." However, he stated: "The rest of the album, however, returns to generic ecstatic-jazz antics that sadly argue against its own artistic significance."

Track listing

"LouRa" composed by Paul Smoker. Remaining tracks by Marshall Allen, Lou Grassi, Perry Robinson, Paul Smoker, Steve Swell, and Wilber Morris. # "Bird Symphony" – 32:52 # "(Midnight) Blues" – 14:42 # "Soft Winds" – 10:24 # "LouRa" – 11:35

Personnel

– alto saxophone * Lou Grassi – drums *

– clarinet, whistle * Paul Smoker – trumpet *

– trombone *

– bass

References

{{Reflist 2000 albums Marshall Allen albums Free jazz albums CIMP albums