Collective improvisations over active grooves Henry Lee(sop sax), Jeff Norwood(acoustic bass), Darrell Voss(percussion) What critcis are saying: MD 2020 is an intimately concocted jazz trio date of eight collective improvisations. The glib album title references a cheap wine (MD 2020 = Mad Dog 2020). However, the serious nature of the band’s demeanor offsets any implications of rambunctious interplay. Think of rolling hills and linear developments, often spearheaded by soprano saxophonist Henry Lee’s warmly articulated and soaring lines. In addition, the trio makes excellent use of space, infused with bump and grind movements and loosely swinging vamps. They cover jazz-blues and mood-evoking scenarios by alternating flows, generally with a noticeable camaraderie. Glenn Astarita July 6, 2006 allaboutjazz.com ___ MD 2020 offer up a disc of exploratory improvisations that take place over active grooves. But the groove-oriented avant-garde jazz found here always stays this side of free funk by constantly falling back upon jazz rhythms only to let the funk bubble and boil out at the most unexpected moments buoying the music along. The minimalist improvisations of Henry Lee, who is clearly influenced by Steve Lacy, insure that the outing is more than just a vehicle for his soprano and instead shifts the focus onto group interplay. “In Your Dreams” is an excellent example of the kind of uncompromising creativity that Henry Lee and his San Luis Obispo label Geojazz are all about. justin glick, WNUR Chicago