Ras Moshe, Outsight, Straw2Gold Pictures label,S2G-007, March 2013.

This recording falls into the “go back and listen again” category.  Which is just what I did the other day with this 2013 release.

Ras Moshe often likes to stretch his musical limbs when he plays. So don’t look for brief little ditties here.

This is music to hang with, or better yet, to swim through. Roll around. Get immersed.

Flex your listening muscles. Don’t limit the experience just to your ears. Listen with your whole body.

On the first piece, “I Hear You,” Moshe’s ribbons of tenor sax are lofted by the probing bass of Tom Zlabinger and vibrant drum of Lou Grassi.

I wasn’t ready for it to end, but I was immediately mollified by Daniel Levin’s cello, launching into Convergent Circle One. Here, Ras Moshe’s soulful tenor meanders gently in like a brook in a woodland, then flows with increasing strength. His challenges spur skilled, subtle responses from James Keepnews on electric guitar. Then Matt Lavelle trumpets his way into the mix, bringing more color and texture that Moshe embraces and amplifies. It becomes a wild, delicious dance of instruments, joined by Chris Forbes’s tempestuous piano.

This is followed by three more pieces in the Convergence Circle series. Stellar music by stellar instrumentalists.

The final piece, meditation for David S. Ware, is a fitting tribute to an avant saxophone player. Ware had passed away in October 2012, but Moshe had actually dedicated the piece to his friend and colleague before death took him. The work features Moshe’s eloquent saxophone, with Daniel Levin on cello and both Tom Zlabinger and Max Johnson playing bass. The absence of percussion makes the piece introspective. The rhythms feel more like breath and heartbeat. The spiritual undertones are ever present, like a soul floating about the room.

Go back, I welcome you, to 2013, and listen to this profound, timeless recording.

I couldn’t find a place to buy the original CD, but the MP3 for the full record can be purchased from Amazon.