The second of the Triumph of the Heavy volumes is a scintillating bash, a grand concert crescendo culminating the trio tenure of saxophonist Marcus Strickland, his twin brother E.J. Strickland on drums, and bassist Ben Williams. It is tougher, freer and at once more incendiary and egalitarian than Triumph of the Heavy Volume 1, a studio recording that adds pianist David Bryant to the threesome and is a fine outing in its own right. But the smaller unit on Volume 2 accords more space to the bass and drums — Marcus Strickland describes their group interplay as “a strong triangle” — and there is an unflinching, ornery quality to this erstwhile rhythm section that is akin to a dog gnawing on a bone. It fits well with the way Marcus, on both tenor and soprano, works a riff, alternately sculpting and refracting, turning and exposing each facet with short, clipped phrases. Williams and E.J. Strickland garner nearly as much solo space as the ostensible leader, and the threesome are sufficiently familiar with each other that they simultaneously strive and parry more often than they subsume or undergird. The result is a live performance that is undeniably “heavy” but with a… read more »