Five

For Ralph Bowen's fourth date he returns to the organ combo format that made 2002's Soul Proprietor a significant departure and to the tenor saxophonist's catalog. Returning from that session are trumpeter John Swana, organist Sam Yahel, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Dana Hall. Bowen's muse is an advanced take on the freewheeling implications of John Coltrane's pioneering vernacular. He tackles the framework of the organ group with a fresh outlook that has more to do with the late 60s work of Larry Young than the approach of Jimmy Smith. In addition to the four of his own originals, Bowen puts a new spin on Woody Shaw's Rahsaan's Run, Joe Henderson's Step Lightly, and U2's Drowning Man.