Michael Bates says that as a jazz musician, he takes a punk attitude to things. If anything, that is a refreshing attitude. When it comes down to music, he achieves a fine balance. He has all the right ingredients: a jazz sensibility, an open approach to classical music, a tingly edginess, and a sense of adventure. 
Bates has a band that helps him along in no uncertain terms. Reed specialist Quinsin Nachoff is exciting as he lays bare unusual vistas in his improvisation; Kevin Turcotte, one of the finest trumpeters around, slips compactly into the mould and brings his own vision into play; drummer Mark Timmermans adds textures and accents that broaden the palette. The main protagonist, of course, is Bates, whose writing gives the musicians the room to change shape and density. 
Bates shows his ability to channel ideas into new directions, even as he respects the tradition, on “Prokofiev,” which is based on the composer’s Cello Sonata in C Major. His arco dwells on the melody, albeit briefly, the signal for Nachoff's clarinet. The pace is deliberate and warm as Turcotte comes in, his notes at first a soft wisp, but then more pronounced as the shift in trajectory begins. The playing field opens and the thrust becomes stronger as the saxophone projects tensile lines. 
“The Prodigal” is an evolving tune that never stays in one place. Movement is constant, from the gliding ensemble horns to the saxophone taking off in unfettered flight, before returning home and clasping the other instruments in conversation. A bristling tempo characterises “On Equilibrium.” The shift of pace and pulse, the roll and tumble of the saxophone, the intense urgency of the bass, and then the airy, pliant lines of the trumpet, with a sting in its tail, make the tune exceptional.
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Call me biased, but jazz has the distinction of giving us some pretty good recordings on the whole. The downside to that is an ultimate dilution of the music for public consumption. What will one more performance of “’Round Midnight” do for us? Michael Bates’ A Fine Balance flies in the face of this product dilution. This music should be filed under “And Now for Something Different...” and be proud of it. Perhaps best classified as avant-garde jazz, A Fine Balance actually defies categorization in the same way progressive art often does. 
Outside Sources is steered by bassist/composer Michael Bates. He favors wide-open spaces to fill with his and his band’s joyful cacophony. His compositions nod to the classical masters, particularly Shostakovich and Prokofiev (“Prokofiev” is based on a cello sonata by the composer). The disc opens with the boisterous “On Equilibrium” and slides into the dirge-like “Entrance,” accented by Quinsin Nachoff’s reedy bass clarinet. “Charcoal” features trumpeter Kevin Turcotte sparring with the clarinet against the rhythm section. This is jazz counterpoint, something which Bach would have been content to compose or improvise. 
Bates’ musical vision is one of freedom, but not at all costs. His compositions can be at once melodic and confounding. But no matter what, this is a thoroughly enjoyable recording, steeped in the the last forty years of the jazz tradition, which should occupy the CD tray for quite some time.
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Reared in Canada, double bassist Michael Bates is an active participant of the New York City downtown scene amid his stint as the Program Coordinator for the Banff Centre’s “International Jazz Workshop.” With his new album, Bates demonstrates his rock solid composing skills and enviable technical faculties. Nonetheless, the quartet’s upfront, and hard-hitting methodology spans quite a bit of terrain. They rev it up in spots, but also engage in darkly-hued and anthem-like modern jazz works, often using a given melody as a launching pad for improvisation. 

Trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and multi-reedman Quinsin Nachoff stir the pot via soaring harmonic maneuvers and linearly designed unison choruses. Notions of Ornette Coleman’s harmolodics surface on the piece titled “Coppertone,” where the rhythm section generates a staggered pulse in support of Nachoff’s prophetic sax lines. Here and elsewhere, the band fuses various tonal shades and subtle harmonies with an athletic gait. Simply put, Bates has the ability to make a huge impact on the existing state of modern jazz! – Glenn Astarita
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Although this begins with a fine, short bass solo, it soon leaps into a quick-paced, fast changing piece that moves through different free and charted sections. Quinsin takes the first solo and is most impressive, a strong, dark tone and fierce execution. The charted sections are difficult and move through some quick twists and turns, with another impressive solo from Turcotte's trumpet. "Entrance" features some simmering tenor sax and muted trumpet droning together over a hypnotic cushion of bass and drums that are floating together. The throbbing bass is at the center of this piece, like a heartbeat slowly pounding within. "Charcoal" features some marvelous clarinet and elegant trumpet playing some odd, yet softer harmonies and counterpoint. Michael does a fine job of creating complex parts for the rest of the quartet as the reedman or trumpeter solos. This music is filled with surprising twists and turns, stops and starts and is in between modern jazz and (third stream) classical, blending both seamlessly. Considering that I was not that familiar with any member of this quartet, except for reviewing one CD by Mr. Nachoff, this is indeed a most auspicious debut on the consistently engaging Between the Lines label. Thoughtfully composed, nicely crafted and very well played.- BLG
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