Brian Blade Fellowship [1]
Seasons of Change [2]
Verve [3]
Release date: April 1, 2008

Blade's [4] ensemble seems heavily influenced by his membership in Wayne Shorter's [5] magnificent but overtly cerebral quartet, which isn't always a good thing. The frequently lethargic pace and finely crafted harmonic and melodic nuances occasionally feel like music that must be listened to for your own good, like a meal fortified with fiber but not very tasty. Praise be, then, to bust-outs like Melvin Butler's gnarly tenor saxophone solo on "Return of the Prodigal Son," which also benefits from guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel [6], whose tone and groove are reminiscent of Skunk Baxter [7] on "Reeling In The Years." Like the rest of the disc, the title track is a hit-and-miss magnum opus, which does take advantage of Blade's masterful ability to turn the temperature up and down as a timekeeper. There are some things here I'll want to revisit: Myron Walden's [8] bass clarinet on "Rubylou's Lullaby;" the way "Most Precious One (Prodigy)" apes The Bad Plus [9], of all people; the found-beauty of "Improvisation," with its pump organ undertow; and the slow build and crescendo of the closer, "Omni." But there's not enough sugar or caffeine to make it addictive in the slightest.

** 1/2 (Two and a half out of five stars)