Tetsuro Kawashima "True Eyes" (ewe) 2003

Tetsuro Kawashima—tenor sax, soprano sax
Eddie Gomez—bass
Billy Hart—drums

Tetsuro Kawashima is on a roll. He has released several recordings in a short period of time—all of them excellent. The most recent is “True Eyes,” a sax trio with Eddie Gomez and Billy Hart. It’s hard to go wrong with the support of Gomez’s bass and Hart’s drums, but Kawashima is clearly inspired. His sax playing has never sounded better than on this tight, thoughtful session.

Moving comfortably back and forth from post-bop jamming to harmolodic ideas and modal directions, (and sometimes back again in the same breath), Kawashima is comfortable with it all. His confidence brims forth on every cut. For starters, the compositions are extremely accomplished. They have an unpretentious openness to them, as if they were scraps of melodic ideas that naturally evolved into a higher order of compositions. The melodies and harmonies flow easily, but unexpectedly, pooling at lyrical endpoints, only to rush forth in another direction. This exploratory attitude relies on a confidence in finding something interesting, and does, on every cut.

The trio interacts with a natural, organic tension. The way Kawashima lays out for Gomez to solo and the way he listens to Hart’s rhythmic textures are knowing and effortless. The trio stops and starts, speeds up to the same loping speed, then drops to a potent moment of silence all together. It is as if they recorded facing each other in the studio watching each other’s every movement (and probably did). Both Gomez and Hart have a deep feeling for where Kawashima wants to go, but offer their own suggestions as well. That simpatico feel marks this recording as more than just a precision studio workout.

Each of the cuts contains many different subtleties to create a range of moods and styles. The opener, “Byaku-Ya,” has a light, graceful lilt to it with a shining, sunny feeling that quickly turns to complexity. “Larme” has a rambling, blues-ish feel with room for earthier, heavier solos at a fast bop tempo. “To-Jim-Bo” has a light-hearted lead taken on soprano sax over a powerful bass line that is simple in its extreme difficulty. “In Other Words” stretches the farthest into free territory, with rambunctious blowing that breaks up the middle of the CD with disruptive glee. Following that is “My Soul,” a solo sax number that fits the title with Kawashima using his sax to pull up intimate sounds that are sharp, honest and crisply delivered. “Sphinx,” is especially atmospheric. Middle Eastern flourishes and moody shifts drape themselves lavishly over Gomez’ driving bass line and Hart’s complex drumming.

The overall flow of this CD is potent and engaging. At the same time, Kawashima still has more potential. It will be interesting to see what’s next for him.