Larry Stabbins is an accomplished saxophonist. Over the years, he has explored the realms of jazz, rock, Latin, and free improv, each project engrossing his style. Monadic is his belated solo debut and a very convincing one, hopefully the effort that will give his low profile the push it now obviously deserves. Recorded in one afternoon at the Red Rose in London (without an audience, although the last of the 13 tracks is from a public set later the same day), the set consists of a series of musical statements between three and nine minutes in duration. Each piece puts the emphasis on a different aspect of Stabbins' talent. Some titles (Breathing, Sliding) hint at the focused exploration of specific techniques, but the music is always slightly more encompassing than what the titles refer to -- although Loving leaves no doubt about the feelings that went into the creation of that beautiful instant melody. Some passages recall Steve Lacy (Loving again), Peter Brötzmann (Blowing), Anthony Braxton (Thinking, almost Ghost Trance-like), and Evan Parker (Shaking), but they are integrated influences or meant as deliberate tips of the hat, just atoms of Stabbins' resourcefulness. He clings to his sense of melody and rhythm without a hint of remorse, yet pushes his playing far into abstraction -- witness the tuneless breaths of the opening Breathing, as if he was summoning the saxophone out of thin air, asking it to materialize in his hands for the next 75 minutes. This balance between soulful immediacy and mind-bending research accounts for the relatively high comfort level of Monadic. Recommended. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		Breathing
2		Singing
3		Thinking
4		Buzzing
5		Loving
6		Shaking
7		Sliding
8		Chirruping
9		Tuning
10		Speaking
11		Blowing
12		Dancing
13		Playing

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