A View with a Room (feat. Chris Montague, Ross Stanley & James Maddren)

A View With a Room is London-based tenor/soprano saxophonist Trish Clowes’ fourth album with her inventive quartet My Iris, but the first for Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf label. The prestige that comes with Douglas’ imprimatur is well-deserved, for Clowes is a tremendous player and writer, and My Iris is a lineup that eschews convention in all the best ways. Simply put, the group has no bass player: it features Clowes with guitarist Chris Montague, keyboardist Ross Stanley, and drummer James Maddren. (Chris Potter’s Underground and Tim Berne’s Science Friction used a similar instrumentation.) The band sounds full and varied, and the chemistry between Clowes and Montague on intricate unison lines (“Amber,” “A View With a Room”) and hovering harmonic passages (“Ayana”) is always compelling. The moods range from staggered funk to edgy power-chord swing to crystalline melodicism. Stanley’s acoustic piano on “Morning Song” is exquisite, and Montague’s fluid fuzz-tone solos add maximum spark, particularly on “No Idea.” Clowes, a heavy improviser as well, flourishes in this environment, rhythmically and tonally assured.