 
Every once in a while, an album comes along that really lights a fire under one’s rear end, in the best possible sense of the phrase. OK, so maybe Channel Three, the latest from Greg Osby (due out August 2) isn’t quite The Shape Of Jazz To Come or Out To Lunch, but the passion is there all the same, not to mention fine renditions of Ornette Coleman’s “Mob Job” and Eric Dolphy’s “Miss Ann” bookending the disc. Joined by Matt Brewer on bass and Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, Osby also plays originals that magically conjure the vibe of late ‘80s-era Ornette with Prime Time (specifically on “Viewer Discretion”) without wandering deep into the harmolodic wilderness. Titles like “Vertical Hold” and “Test Pattern” carry a television theme, and the music’s most sublime moment arrives when the trio vocalizes together on the title track in a low hum that evokes the feeling of watching some half good movie with all the lights out at 2 am. Best part is, there’s no eyestrain involved. - Michael Fortes |
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