''Scratching the Surface'' is an album by a quartet co-led by jazz saxophonist Rob Brown and drummer Lou Grassi, which was recorded in 1997 and released on CIMP. They are joined by Israeli tenor saxophonist

Assif Tsahar Assif Tsahar (born Israel, June 11, 1969) is an Israeli tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist. He has lived in New York City since 1990. He has performed with Cecil Taylor, Butch Morris, William Parker, Mat Maneri, Hamid Drake, Peter Kowald, ...

and bassist Chris Lightcap.

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Steve Loewy states "High points include the wonderful tunes and arrangements by Brown, as well as his highly inventive soloing. If the horns sometimes seem to fly in different directions, the lengthy improvisations should be a sax lover's delight." The All About Jazz review by Derek Talor notes that "All four men are at the height of their game on this session and the compositions, authored mainly by Brown, are designed with maximum improvisational opportunities in mind."Taylor, Derek
''Scratching the Surface'' review
at All About Jazz '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' observes that "Bob Rusch's sleeve-note seems to hint at a disappointment that this band is playing in a fundamentally conservative style as far as free music is concerned... The result is surely the best record Brown's put his name on".

Track listing

:''All compositions by Rob Brown except as indicated'' # "The Arc" – 5:14 # "Stray Arrow" – 3:29 # "A Hatful" – 8:42 # "Clean Sweep" – 7:59 # "3 Rings" – 15:35 # "Triangle" (

) – 8:03 # "Procession" – 8:28 # "Unitarians" ( Chris Lightcap) – 8:08

Personnel

* Rob Brown – alto sax *

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* Chris Lightcap –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Lou Grassi –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 1998 albums Rob Brown (saxophonist) albums CIMP albums