ALBUM REVIEWS

STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS

“Def Trance Beat”

Novus

* * 1/2

As he has with past efforts from Five Elements, the saxophonist offers tough, urban sounds that reflect the edge and Angst of contemporary life. The result is more successful here. There’s a rough-and-tumble clatter to these pieces, which are underpinned by an undulating rhythmic groove from bassist Reggie Washington and drummer Gene Lake that leans toward hip-hop but doesn’t quite get there.

Tenor men Ravi Coltrane and Craig Handy, pianist Andy Milne and altoist Coleman are crafty soloists and each one seems to be able to spin out the spur-of-the-moment, free-based improvisations called for by these works.

The best tracks find the players really getting in sync, as on the somber “Dogon,” where the moderately slow tempo sets the stage for interesting, almost conversational exchanges between Coleman and Coltrane. The more bristling “Patterns of Force,” where Handy and the leader deliver long, free-improvisation-based solos, is another winner. Milne makes good contributions to each.

But when Coleman tries mixing be-bop tunes like “Confirmation” and “Salt Peanuts” with his modern ethos, it’s no marriage made in heaven. The songs long for a straight-ahead swing feel and Coleman’s solos seem as if they’re in one world, while the rhythm section’s in another.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).