PATRICK BRENNAN/LISLE ELLIS Saunters, Walks, Ambles CD [CIMP]

The Canadian bassist Ellis came to notice via a series of discs on Music & Arts and Hat back in the '90s that documented his duo with pianist Paul Plimley, Ellis's best-known musical association, and collaborations with individuals like Joe McPhee and Andrew Cyrille. Performed by the impressive quintet of Ellis, McPhee, Marco Eneidi (alto), Peter Apfelbaum (drums) and Dana Reason (piano),

Ellis's duo with obscure alto saxophonist Patrick Brennan - who, as far as I can glean, has in the past two decades only had two releases (on a label called Deep Dish) to his name - is at least aptly named. It has a very relaxed lolloping/sauntering/padding feel to it, mainly due to Ellis's lazily strolling bass, which, in the best traditions of this label, is mixed too low throughout. Three Monk covers accentuate this impression (they also do Roscoe Mitchell's 'Nonaah', not very adequately). There's 11 other "original" pieces as well, which Brennan heats up from time to time with some active blowing, but Ellis remains unmoved. They sound like they're playing at the same time rather than together, and an underwhelming why-bother air of enervation characterises the session, which is really just a bit inoffensive and lacking in spark. Ultimately, I can't work out whether it's the extremely uninviting sax/bass jazz duo format, the flood of other releases on this label which are in quality just as acceptably okay without ever amounting to anything great, or the excess length - at the risk of sounding like someone who always complains that CDs are too long, at a whopping 73:34 running time, only the most ferociously devoted (and considering the relative profile of both musicians, their ranks will be thin) will want to listen to this in one sitting - that makes Saunters, Walks, Ambles seem so innocuous and unmemorable. Neither of these two releases really do Ellis much justice, but he is capable of and has done much better. As to where he's at now, I'm unsure - last I heard, about a year ago, he was destitute, debt-ridden and quite ill, living out of a van in San Francisco. Anyone have more news on him?

-Nick Cain