During its LP incarnation, the label Emanem has released its share of steamy American free jazz records, alongside prime examples of the abstract form of free improvisation taking place in Europe. Since its rebirth in the age of the compact disc, Martin Davidson's label has steered mostly clear of the jazz idiom -- however freed -- and of American musicians, the occasional reissue of LP material aside. There is one shining exception though: the albums of drummer Tony Bianco. Line Ish sees him back in the U.S.A. for a powerful recording session with Dave Liebman and his trusty bassist of over 15 years, Tony Marino. A suite of alternating written-down themes, solos, and improvised group variations, Line Ish draws on the heart and soul of the free jazz idiom: the energy, the emotion, the willingness to explore, and the swing. Liebman is credited for most of the writing -- limited to a few heads and the simple macrostructure of the piece. Besides his tenor and soprano saxes, he also plays wooden flute in the Group Interlude (Bianco and Marino accompany him on chimes and bells) and he sits down at the piano for the whole duration of Line Ish, Pt. 2. The melodic material frames the improvisations and gives the piece a movement of ebb and flow. Each musician gets his share of the spotlight and the whole proceedings are extremely amicable, maybe even too polite. But Bianco nails down his typical octopusian playing, Liebman throws in some of his most vehement tenor lines of later years, and Marino's Bass Interlude seems to arch back to Henry Grimes' heyday with Albert Ayler. A good, honest session. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		Line Ish, Pt. 1
2		Bass Interlude
3		Line Ish, Pt. 2
4		Sax Interlude
5		Line Ish, Pt. 3
6		Group Interlude
7		Cymbal Interlude
8		Line Ish, Pt. 4