That rugged, integrated sound makes itself known from the opening seconds of "Sweat," with it's train-rolling rhythm that stops cold every eighth beat. Underpinned by Allee's crunchy Fender Rhodes, the horns feed off the energy and both Walrath (who wrote this tune) and Armacost provide sizzling solos, with each taking turns being the primary soloist while the other solos a bit underneath. Pretty neat stuff, if you ask me.
Johns' "Deep Blue" is another notable cut; it's got a deeply soulful strut paced by Moring's rich bass lines. Walrath's trumpet provides the right helpings of sass and tenderness, and Armacost is very bluesy with his turn. "Hop Blues" mixes in a sixties-styled backbeat with a slightly dissonant blues figure. All the players save for Johns gets a solo opportunity, including the leader.
The dissonance grows into full-fledged whack jazz in Walrath's "Snakes!," which is actually a pretty descriptive title. The song slithers around most of the time, striking when the listener might not expect it. That's followed by an early Ornette Coleman composition "The Disguise," a 13-bar blues that manages to sound very tame compared to the prior track, and a fine vehicle for the players to strut their stuff within the blues form. Moring in particular walks his bass with much swing and confidence.
The CD concludes with a couple of Moring's own songs, an elegant waltz "A Space In Time" and cool, strutting "iHop."
Given the diversity of experiences Bill Moring has had in his career, it shouldn't be surprising that Spaces In time is similarly diverse. The common denominator is the it's jazz by veterans who understand that it's just as important to move your soul as it is to bowl you over with chops. That's the Way Out East way.
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