Blaze
Brannen Temple has once again gathered some of the best young players in Austin and united them under one musical vision, only this time it’s all about straight-ahead jazz, and the results are every bit as impressive as the funk- and groove-heavy genius of his former outfit, the much-lauded Hot Buttered Rhythm. Temple’s drum work is crisp and dead-on as ever, as he rattles the traps with the fluidity of a six-armed man. Michael Malone’s saxophone is repeatedly and consistently jaw-dropping, with an especially dizzying solo on the album’s title track. Malone’s adventures in soprano sax on “Pense,” penned by the group’s pianist Steve Snyder, are brilliant borderline acrobatic runs and provide an eerie echo to the previous tune on the CD, an inspired sprint through Coltrane’s “Mr. PC.” With trumpeter Ephraim Owens, whose feel for the cool is unsurpassed in Austin, Blaze is capable of some astounding solos, and thanks to Stevens’ alternatingly intricate and breakneck piano and Rhodes keyboard work and the bass of Michael Stevens, which through sheer dexterity and instinct stays prominent in the mix, the solo switching can jump to the backline without missing a beat. Each player has a writing credit on the album as well, which hopefully indicates a depth that can be mined for a long time to come. (Blaze plays a CD release Friday, August 25 at the Elephant Room.) 
This article appears in August 25 • 2000.