One of the most difficult things to accomplish in music is making the complicated sound natural and easy. Saxophonist Loren Stillman continues to challenge himself in the arena of composition by writing pieces of music that sound freely played but adhere to an architecture, requiring the players to move forward within the piece as they deal with the fabric of the composition.

In pursuing these sounds, Stillman has enlisted a trio of trusted colleagues in bassist Drew Gress and drummer Mark Ferber to record Time and Again, an album of new pieces that move organically though they utilize written forms. This trio setting lent to a new sound that Stillman has been developing on the tenor saxophone, which he focuses on for the entirety of the recording.

The music in question is in part inspired by the expressive yet studied music of his heroes, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, and Paul Motian. Their attention to the details of the musical form while freely expressing themselves sets their work apart from other “free” players. Stillman wanted to maintain that spirit by finding a way to play in a free manner while retaining the anchor of the songs, which proves to be one of the most difficult ways to improvise in jazz.