Alex Terrier
Roundtrip
Barking Cat Records
www.Alexterriermusic.com
By George W. Harris

You probably haven’t heard of Alex Terrier, as this New Yorker’s only
put out one other album. He’s a triple threat here, playing soprano,
alto and tenor, and wrote all of the stuff here as well. He’s got a
Jackie McLean sound-kind of bright, with an explorative swerve in his
writing and soloing. The music is a fresh collection of post bop, some
of it quite assertive, like the white-knuckler “Round Trip” but also
able to be calm and reflective as in “Departure.” His soprano is tanto
point sharp on the delicate “Ton Coeur De Petite Fille Est Mort” which
also features some eloquent bass by Francois Moutin, while “Tompkins
Square” includes some impressive interplay with pianist Roy Assaf.
Terrier’s got a lot of energy on this disc, with lots of ideas on these
well crafted tunes. This one takes a few listens, but is worth it.