Dave Anderson, In Lieu of Flowers Review

by Stamish Malcuss

In memorial and in motion, this is the elegant dialectic at the heart of In Lieu of Flowers, the ten-track offering from saxophonist-composer Dave Anderson. Rather than mourning in silence, Anderson leads his quartet in a vivid act of remembrance through music: not a static elegy, but a fluid testament to lives that have left their imprint on his own. The result is an album steeped in compositional integrity and interpretive nuance, rich with modern harmonic sensibilities and textured quartet interplay.

Anderson’s quartet features pianist Grant Richards, bassist Lorin Cohen, and drummer Jimmy Macbride. The ensemble engages these tributes with an alert, organic cohesion, giving the album a through-line of in-the-moment urgency with a focus on communication and musicality. The recording, captured over two days at Samurai Hotel, breathes with a studied immediacy, the result of long-considered writing and understanding of the style performed with in-the-moment vitality.

“Outer Circle,” a contrafact on Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge,” opens the album with a brisk assurance. Richards’s solo builds deliberately, his phrasing toggling between single-line clarity and chordal density. Anderson’s soprano enters with rhythmic purpose, grounding his improvisation in a motif that expands into fluid invention. The result is a solo grounded in rhythmic motifs that evolve into elegant, upward-spiraling lines. Macbride’s ride cymbal and Cohen’s anchoring lines provide a pocket that never stiffens, a hallmark of the quartet’s interplay throughout the record.

“One for Wayne” follows with a slower swing feel, built on two-feel bass and punctuated band hits. A clear homage to Wayne Shorter, Anderson channels Shorter’s lyricism through a warm, rounded tenor tone, drawing harmonic color from within the changes. His melodic phrasing carries the tune’s harmonic identity, and Macbride offers an interactive space without sacrificing forward movement.

“Thilmany,” in memory of a family friend, is a composition of contrasts; its peaceful piano bookends frame sections that ebb and surge. The form straddles swing and contemporary groove, allowing the soloists to traverse different expressive terrains. Anderson’s improvisation is sculptural, his phrases built with intent, navigating harmonic turns with narrative pacing. Richards and Macbride respond in kind, the latter’s brush textures adding interaction and energy alike.

“Sanctuary” marks a pivot emotionally and orchestrationally. A duet between soprano sax and piano, it exemplifies Anderson’s compositional sensitivity. The harmonic language of major tonalities shading into modal colors creates a space that never drifts into sentimentality. Richards, unhurried, allows the voicings to linger, while Anderson’s soprano tone stays pure, tender, and intimate.

“Upwind” restores kinetic motion, its medium swing groove undergirding statements from Richards, Anderson, and a notably eloquent Cohen. The bassist’s solo speaks with lyrical restraint and rhythmic assurance. The title metaphor (sailing into headwinds) resonates through the quartet’s dynamic drive, affirming resilience as a shared musical ethic.

“Lost City,” composed after Anderson’s visit to St. Petersburg, captures the paradox of beauty amidst ruin. Cohen again provides melodic counterpoint, shaping the ensemble’s texture from within. Macbride’s cymbals shimmer like refracted light on stone, while Richards crafts a piano solo that feels both improvised and architectural. Anderson’s ballad work here is especially poignant, with long-lined phrasing that traces the city’s historical contours in musical terms.

The tribute to Maria Schneider, “Arms of Maria,” balances rhythmic comments with graceful phrasing. While the title nods to Schneider’s elegant conducting, the piece also honors her structural craftsmanship. The Latin-inflected groove gives the quartet room to explore, and Anderson’s soprano glides across textures provided by Richards’s layered accompaniment and Macbride’s dynamic rhythmic shading.

“Stell,” a musical pun on “Stella by Starlight,” reflects Anderson’s homage to beloved educator James Stellmaker. The composition embraces medium-up swing, full of rhythmic feints and ensemble hits that feel joyful rather than academic. Anderson’s articulation here is particularly supple, his lines flowing with conversational ease grounded in bebop lineage but voiced in a contemporary dialect.

“Ghost Bikes” is more somber but no less lyrical. The opening tutti sets a reflective tone before the slow swing groove takes hold. Each soloist stretches rhythmically, especially Richards, whose harmonic explorations mirror the mood of elegy. The tune is both personal and collective, honoring not only a fallen cyclist but the broader fragility of urban life.

The album closes with “Sandy’s Ladies,” a charming number that shifts between swing and Latin feels. It’s a warm-hearted farewell that makes room for all: melodic nostalgia, rhythmic conversation, and deep listening. The quartet’s responsiveness is especially felt here, wrapping the album in a tone of affectionate celebration.

As a whole, In Lieu of Flowers is a musical statement rendered with universal modern jazz appeal. It is an album that trusts its listener, never over-explaining, instead offering meticulously constructed compositions and deeply committed performances. Anderson, both as a composer and instrumentalist, reveals himself as a musician of structure and grace. This is jazz as memory and renewal, music not just in lieu of flowers, but as the very bloom of remembrance itself.