Guitarist Dan Rose's The Water's Rising (Enja 9116) grows in interest with each listen. Rose has a laid-back style but the closer one listens, the more one hears. His originals (When Your Door Is A Jar / Fountains / It's No Mystery / Spits / Sometimes It's Real / What Happens Is Next / Teal Blue / Vestiges / The Water's Rising / The Whole (Tone) / Scant Evidence. 62:18 Aug. 10, 1997, NYC) sometimes hint at Ornette Coleman ("Teal Blue" resembles "Lonely Woman" in spots) but cover a lot of emotional ground, from introspective ballads to a few more eccentric pieces. The interplay between Rose and his sidemen (Peter Madson, p; Peter Warren, b; Victor Lewis, d.) is the real reason to acquire the set for it is the sound of the group and the subtle creativity that make this well worthy of one's close attention.

Guitarist Dan Rose has created an album of original compositions that reflect diversity in both mood and sound. The material ranges from the mellow, melodic mood of "Fountains" to riffs of intentional dissonance on "When Your Door Is A Jar." Veteran of the Paul Bley bands and the New York Loft Scene, Rose is a high-energy musician, but settles into a pensive mood for "Sometimes It's Real." He goes funky on "It's No Mistery," then shifts into a rock-fusion mode for "Teal Blue" and "Scant Evidence." His equally eclectic collegues are pianist Peter Madsen, bassist Peter Warren and drummer Victor Lewis.

"The Water's Rising" CD has something good in it to share with everyone, touching on the taste of a wide range of feelings and jazz expressions from composer-guitarist Dan Rose. Dan Rose has put together some really nice compositions on this CD, and each is unique in its own way.

For a fast-paced lively piece of jazz, give a listen to "When Your Door Is A Jar," or if the hazy atmosphere of an all-night bristo is your favorite, then you will pobably like the moody sweetness of "Fountains" which runs 6:22 minutes.

Pianist Peter Madsen is in top form on theses selections as is Peter Warren on bass and Victor Lewis on drums, musicians of high caliber playing with the lead guitar of Dan Rose. The solo work in these selections is flawless, and an excellent example is "Teal Blue," or "The Water's Rising" as random selections from this excellent 11 selection CD!

Each musician brings something special in his playing to this CD, and it is a CD you will want to have in your library! "The Water's Rising" is unique, full of fun and joy!

Rating: Five Stars

Four 1/2 Stars

Veteran electric guitarist Rose, from NYC, played in a progressive jazz combo with Paul Bley in the early 70's. He has a steely, sustained, rock-like tone, much harsher than contemporaries who treat their sound with gimmicks. But he's a flat out improvisor, snake quick and skilled. To inspire him further, Rose has assembled an unstoppable backing trio of pianist Peter Madsen, bassist Peter Warren and drummer Victor Lewis, truly the cream of the crop. They ensure the music is happening no matter what the tempo, mood, or complex head, on these original compositions by Rose. There are a few easily discernible paraphrases, for instance the stark theme, with rumbling mallets on drums during a no-time oriented "Tea Blue" borrows melody from Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman," "Vistiges" with Warren's haunting bowed bass solo intro, is quite reminiscent of "Born To Be Blue," and the 4/4 hard bop, off kilter melodies of "When Your Door Is Ajar" and "What Happens Is Next" spot shdows angles of Coleman or Thelonious Monk. Madsen is particularly original, with free flowing melodicism on the tick-tock two beat beaut "Fountains," the ultra-quick samba with guitar-piano unison on the title track, and the hip boppin' "Splits." At this point in time, Madsen is ripping it up with the best of the new wave of McCoy Tyner inspired mainstream jazz imporivising acoustic pianists. Rose gets his rock ya-yas out on "Scant Evidence," and the skunk funk-ish "It's No Mystery." The pace variations don't seem to faze Rose, he can play lightning-like runs and choirds on the slower tunes as "Sometimes It's Real" as easy as the more frenetic ones. There's some heads-up, individualistic music making here, led by an unsung guitar hero that will hopefully get another opportunity to say what he feels needs to be said on his axe.

It's always nice, at least in theory, when busy veteran musicians who've never attracted the renown with a date on one of the big labels come up with their own CDs. Guitarist Dan Rose, whose credits include work with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, is one of those players and so is the rest of his quartet on The Water's Rising. Victor Lewis is probably the best known participant on this decidedly antediluvian release - though, to many, his work begins and ends with the seminal Woody Shaw albums in the seventies.

In any case, there can be no doubting the professionalism involved here, and the only wild card is Rose's own composing, which, obviously, can make or break any recording of originals, regardless of the solo talent involved. Fortunately, any fears are allayed on the opening "When Your Door Is A Jar," a jokey title that begets zippy, slapstick swing. The work in the backgroud by Lewis and pianist Peter Madsen is worth some reruns.

The rest of The Water's Rising is an exercise in easy momentum and short swathes of abstraction that lend, if a tad self-consciously, depth. There's some of Coltrante's huslte, though little of his chance-taking, which is fine with me given the quality of what's being done. Things like "Fountains" and "Splits" take an even-steven approach that's oh, so familiar by musicians who, well, aren't -- and therein lies the lion's share of the interest. Crucially, one comes away impressed with Rose's composing ability. The Water's Rising sweeps us, I suppose, from one far-off sea to another - a perfectly Monkish "What Happens Is Next" to "Teal Blue," where Rose is at his harshest, charged cumulus brooding over Lewis' thundering toms, to a slow, rocking "Vestiges".

Its confidence is magnetic, and, as is frequently the case with these projects, one steps away wondering what's keeping the big wigs from listening.

We take the same musicians or almost and we do it again. It's John Fischer's band again because of Whitcage, Robinson and Halburian we're in the interface band. But this time no subtle climates or intimate atmospheres they go straight to the point. First because of John Betsch he is more a drummer than a percussionist and he assures an impeccable drive and second because of the two horns who stimulate and titillate each other in the great tradition of the chases. All these elements permit to apply to Dan Rose (a traditional guitarist if compared to the others on the record) the famous French Maxim "Matin Quel Leader!" (What a Leader!)

To hear the adventuresome way Swallow handles traditional bass responsibilities, check out his collaboration on guitarist Dan Rose's trio session Conversations, recorded with Swallow and drummer John Betsch.

Rose began touring with the Paul Bley Band in the early 1970's, where he fell under the conceptual influence of Carla Bley.

ROse wrote all 10 of the compositions on Conversations, an excursion in free ensemble playing. The distinctive chordal sound he favors here is very nice yet runs the risk of making many of the songs soiund much the same if you don't listen closely enough.

The ballad "Great Harbour" is very fine. And the guitar/bass interplay with Swallow is especially nice on the closer, the waltz-like tune "(Her) Care And Feeding."

With Conversations Dan Rose publishes his first CD on Enja. Here he plays with an outstanding rythm section Steve Swallow on bass and John Betch on drums. His playing is very straight, adapting to Swallow's style. The fascination of this recording lies in the intimate ensemble playing of these three instrumentalists which is interesting and exciting. Conversations brings a new voice on the guitar that is worth listening to.