Dan Pitt is a guitarist from Toronto who likes to explore. He's at home both within and outside of structure, and he is seemingly conversant with any genre. The quintet riding along with him includes Naomi McCarroll-Butler on reeds (alto sax and bass clarinet), Patrick Smith on tenor sax, Alex Fournier on (acoustic) double bass and Nick Fraser on drums. They all share his need to find new frontiers.

Dan Pitt Quintet Horizontal Depths (self-released)

While most folks get that a double bass is that big ol' thing and not some plug-in, Pitt dives right into this album with a classic prog-jazz piece that is custom-made for a Tony Levin appearance. And, on the whole, that's where this album sits. But the title track (broken into two parts) is a full improvisation, and at times the music veers into more traditional jazz. Well, as traditional as one can get with this instrumentation.

Generally, Pitt plays his guitar without much (if any) effects. In that way, his jazz guitar sounds somewhat familiar. But if the song demands something more muscular or mind-bending, his playing (and sound) shift effortlessly. Which is just another way to say whatever one song sounds like, expect the next one to diverge significantly.

The playing overall is solid and expressive, bringing the ideas spawned by Pitt and his collaborators into full focus. More of a ramble than a focused attack, this set is content to wander through moods and styles almost at random. That sort of generous adventuresome spirit is always welcome. I'm always happy to hear music of depth that never comes close to being ponderous.