Winner of a 1999 MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant, tenor saxophonist and bandleader Ken Vandermark sounds downright mainstream on this nod to Jamaican-born alto saxophonist Joe Harriott. Of course, you have to figure in the changing perspectives that time allows, though, when considering Harriott"s music. He recorded in England in the 1960s, drawing parallels with Ornette Coleman both in terms of his tune conceptions and his biting, bluesy phrasing. But Harriott"s band was always more thrilled with vertical harmonic studies than Coleman"s and, at the same time, guided by a pianist. Here Vandermark skips the piano, opting for a lean quartet of trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Kent Kessler, and drummer Tim Mulvenna. They take pieces from Harriott"s cult-fave first two albums, Abstract and Free Form, and neither speed them or slow them, instead honing in on a midtempo bounce that draws the horns into limber solos and complex arrangements that sound like vintage, 1960s-era Blue Note tracks. Vandermark, who"s known for volcanic intensity, stop-time shifts, and on-a-dime turns, here maintains a telescopic focus on the tunes, each of which is splendid, even for the many who"ve never heard of Harriott. --Andrew Bartlett