Marty Ehrlich Sextet

Marty Ehrlich composes like a chess player who sets himself increasingly hard problems to solve. He is in his element when it appears that there is no chance of escape. Call it freedom created by a strikingly rigid system. For his band, this principle has grown into a fruitful basis for group improvisation. His work shows the force, flexibility and intelligence of a great composer, in combination with individual tours de forces in the arranged and improvised sections. Ehrlich's music does not allow any time for rest. He takes aim without missing a single note and steers his way calmly and surely through the music. He never strays or retraces his steps. Ehrlich is an ascetic reed player who obeys the substance of the music with the discipline of a monk. In 'News of the Rail' (Jazz Times' best CD of 2005), Ehrlich's musician colleagues prove that strict arrangements call for great inventiveness and lead to fascinating music.