Billy Hart

The sleight of hand begins early on Quartet, veteran drummer Billy Hart’s inaugural date heading up a collective of younger musicians wise and humble enough to understand that his rhythmic shape-shifting deserves top billing. “Mellow B,” the first piece, opens with a thunderous crash from Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, but almost instantly becomes an intro duet between Hart and bassist Ben Street. The cut could easily have been your run-of-the-mill walking, slow blues if Street weren’t left to be the lone cool spot in the midst of increasing heat. Almost in spite of the bassist’s steady gait, each member—especially Hart and tenorist Mark Turner—accelerates. The tension mirrors the melody’s engagingly unorthodox structure, though that’s not apparent at the onset.

Such shifts tinge what is basically an accessible album with an adventurousness that seems wholly unself-conscious, whereas a lesser ensemble might sound rote or forced. Iverson and Turner are often sparkling and reflective on Hart’s pieces (all of which, incidentally, are named for family members), yet both seem to have a mandate to rejigger the two old faves in the bunch (Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice” and Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation”). Hart’s playing, all elegant cymbal wash and snare-to-tom rolls and stutters, is a veritable clinic in how to keep even the most heteroclite players both on track and off guard. — K. Leander Williams

Billy Hart Quartet with Ethan Iverson and Mark Turner plays Jazz Standard Tue 5 and Wed 6.