Steve Swell's Slammin' the Infinite October 10, 2007

Steve Swell- Trombone
Sabir Mateen- Sax
Matt Heyner - Bass
Michael Wimberly- Drums

Trombonist, composer and educator Steve Swell's Slammin' the Infinite quartet has been called "one of the most powerful collective voices in jazz right now" by Signal to Noise magazine. Sabir Mateen's deep and torrential sax playing, the heavy and precise drumming of Michael Wimberly, the responsive and driving bass playing of Matt Heyner and Swell's own emotional-driven and technique-laden performance make for an explosive combination of elements. Swell's compositions for this group bridge the gap between 60's free jazz and today's creative improvised music in that they give plenty of space for the group to explore the outer reaches of their instruments and playing while providing a clear direction for each tune. Though this group's reputation is that of a fiery, free blowing quartet, they are not cranked to volume eleven all the time. Many of their pieces feature long written horn lines, contemplative playing and the combing and recombining of duos and trios within the group that makes for the best in ensemble playing. Slammin' the Infinite is one of the finest improvisational groups to emerge in the past ten years and their performance here in Portland promises to be exuberant and breathtaking.

Official Website: http://www.creativemusicguild.org