Spacious Moods and Darting Bursts
Osby's alto and soprano work shine brightest when the rhythm section pulls back and lets air in.
Season of Renewal opens with space — real silence, real room to breathe. The drums don't lock into a groove so much as suggest one, creating gaps where Greg Osby's saxophone can dart in and out. His alto lines twist and turn without relying on obvious melody, and when he switches to soprano, the tone narrows into something more plaintive. Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Paul Samuels on drums are sparse with their notes, which works when it works and feels hesitant when it doesn't. The originals here avoid obvious hooks. Instead, they build mood — mysterious, sometimes unsettled, occasionally floating. This is early in Osby's career, and you can hear him testing what a trio can do when it refuses to settle into comfort.
The challenge with Season of Renewal is that the rhythm section's restraint doesn't always serve the music. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow found the originals frustrating, hearing the sparse accompaniment as undercutting rather than supporting Osby's ideas. But Don Snowden in the Los Angeles Times caught something else: those holes in the rhythm section are exactly the point, and when the arrangements breathe, Osby's tone work and harmonic thinking come through clearly. The saxophonist is listening intently to space and silence, not just filling it.
This is an album for listeners willing to sit with discomfort and restraint. It's not a breakthrough, and it's not comfortable listening. But for Osby, it marks an early statement of principle — that a saxophonist can lead with subtlety rather than flash, and that less can sometimes reveal more.
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