Nick Fraser

• DIGIPACK EDITION

"A couple of the pieces on If There Were No Opposites, the quartet's fourth album, were adapted from Fraser's compositions for dance productions by Decidedly Jazz Danceworks." But while the original versions of "Shoe Dance" and "The Fashion Show" had to adhere to rigid timing requirements in order to coordinate with the rest of the stage production, the quartet lets the music flow in more free-wheeling fashion.

The quartet first recorded in 2012, and its personnel has never changed. New Jersey-based saxophonist Tony Malaby was originally billed as a special guest, but now he is simply one of the band. This is not a demotion, but an acknowledgement of how essential he is to the group's sound. By turns agile and burly, his playing reliably turns up the heat on whatever the rest of the ensemble is cooking. Bill Meyer

PERSONNEL:

• Nick Fraser - drums
• Tony Malaby - saxophones
• Andrew Downing - cello
• Rob Clutton - double bass

Recorded in Toronto, March 2019

TRACKS:

• 01. Improvisation (Part 1)
• 02. Sketch #50
• 03. Shoe Dance
• 04. Table 49, The Rex Hotel, Toronto
• 05. The Bulldog And The Capricorn
• 06. The Fashion Show
• 07. Improvisation (Part 2)