David Mott Quintet

Occasionally mellow yet intensely arresting, Downtown Runout features compositions by David Mott, as rendered by a stellar and increasingly rare gathering of musicians. With their members now spread across Ontario and Quebec, it's unclear how often the David Mott Quintet can play together these days. The circumstances add experiential urgency to Downtown Runout, the group's most recent offering. While Mott handles baritone sax, he's joined by Peter Lutek on tenor sax, Gordon Allen on trumpet and the accomplished rhythm section of bassist John Geggie and percussionist Jesse Stewart. Whether brash and cacophonous on pieces like "In the Club" or simmering to explosion on "First Dance," a chemistry of collision allows each man to shine. By Mott's Moods, a kind of addendum to Downtown Runout, the psychic coagulation is complete and the David Mott Quintet ride off into a blurry sunset, successfully satiated, for now.