Album: Greg Osby

Symbols of Light, Blue Note

On his 11th Blue Note album, saxophonist Osby still communicates something new, a task that defeated most of his US contemporaries after 2 or 3 outings. The mostly original compositions edge closer than most Americans dare towards European-style experiment, although the band swings so fiercely that pseudo-classical worthiness hardly gets a look in. It's still possible to ask where Osby is going, however, and this album could stand as a testament to the crisis in African-American jazz were it not for the invention of the writing and the soulfulness of Osby'ssolos.