Kenny Wheeler: Deer Wan

Canadian-born, English-bred trumpeter and fluegelhorn player Kenny Wheeler has been a mainstay of Germany's ECM Records since the mid-'70s. Aside from his own recordings as a leader, Wheeler has performed as part of the bands Azimuth and the Dave Holland Quintet, and recorded as a sideman with Bill Frisell, Ralph Towner, and the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. A self-described "musical schizophrenic," Wheeler tends to split his recordings into two distinct styles: romantic, mainstream acoustic recordings bearing the stylistic imprint of Miles Davis and Art Farmer; and more modern, frenetic electric dates influenced by Don Cherry. This 1977 quintet date falls into the latter category. Matched on the frontline by Norwegian saxophonist and ECM stalwart Jan Garbarek, Wheeler is supported by an all-star rhythm section of guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Despite its relatively small size, the group's synthesis of ECM's stark, ethereal sound and the lessons in electronic improvisation laid down by Miles Davis on In a Silent Way are big-voiced and robust. Wheeler's performance on the album, which runs the gamut here from the melancholy to the brash, is among his best. –Fred Goodman.