I wrote this review for jazzreview.com. Click here to read the review on that site. You will have to scroll down some.

Lan Xang Hidden Gardens (Naxos Jazz, 2000)
reviewed by Micah Holmquist
April 25, 2000

Donny McCaslin (tenor & soprano sax, flute, Tunisian horn, percussion),
David Binney (alto saxophone, clarinet, live samples),
Scott Colley (bass, percussion),
Kenny Wollesen (drums, percussion)

The linear notes take a couple of paragraphs to explain why this quartet calls itself Lan Xang. Its a pretty tortured rationalization but basically boils down to Lan Xang being a kingdom that originated in the area that is now Laos and which, the better part of a millennium ago, ruled much of Indochina for about three centuries. The symbol of Lan Xang represented freedom amongst other things. Fortunately the music is better than the rationale behind the name.

And the music is good. Lan Xang use bits and pieces of indigenous music from around the word to color a blend of new music and early Ornette Coleman type material.

The new music part shows up first as the opener, "The Restless Many," has a neo-classical motif that works well. Before long though, the music has progressed to where it features the odd honks that made up early post bop. As the disc progresses, the music alternates between these two styles with ease and comfort. None of the performances stand out as particularly strong but the group shows good chemistry and certainly appears to have the potential -this is only their second release- to do much more.

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