Ozone Quartet - Live At Local 506 (2003)

Ozone Quartet - Live At Local 506 (2003) is a live album by the Ozone Quartet, a jazz ensemble known for blending avant-garde and post-bop styles. The album captures the band's dynamic live performance, showcasing their improvisational prowess and commitment to pushing the boundaries of jazz.

Tracklist

1. Backbone Of Night (5:23)
2. Dragonfly (4:10)
3. Mutoid Man (4:53)
4. Flood (5:18)
5. Missing Link (5:18)
6. Diamond Eye (4:59)
7. Surge (2:50)
8. The Watcher (5:00)
9. Stash (4:26)
10. Fresh Blood (4:02)
Ozone Quartet - Live At Local 506 (2003)

personnel :

Wayne Leechford - Chapman Stick
Hollis Brown - electric violin
Jeremy Shaw - guitar
Fran Dyer - drums and percussion

The Ozone Quartet disbanded at its peak in the early 2000s, leaving two studio albums to posterity. This live set came out after the fact, an unexpected gift that sparked a reformation of the band. Live at Local 506 was recorded on June 3, 2000 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band was reaching the end of its first long tour, the reaction to its second CD, Nocturne, was very good and attracting lots of attention from progressive rock and fusion circles. All of that is reflected in the live performance: the quartet is at its peak, delivering sizzling interpretations of compositions from both Nocturne and Fresh Blood. The playing is virtuosic, but very warm and generous. Hollis Brown's violin sounds better and more sleazy than on the studio recordings – she is responsible for most of the group's musical charm, while the guys make it groove like a cross between '70s Jean-Luc Ponty and '90s King Crimson. The 45-minute track list culls all the key tunes from the first album, especially "Dragonfly," "Surge," and "Stash." The latter gets a bit messy, the heavy riffing and Wayne Leechford's stick motifs relegating the violin to a distracting voice in the background. On the other hand, Brown is essential to tracks like "Missing Link," "Surge," and the opener, "Backbone of Night," the strongest piece on Nocturne. Ironically better recorded than the group's studio albums, Live at Local 506 proposes excellent heavy fusion rock where good songwriting wins over pyrotechnics.~François Couture