Geof Bradfield/Myra Melford/Ben Goldberg/Dana Hall: Open or Close
Calligram Records

Over the past few years, Geof Bradfield might have appeared on more releases than at any other time in his career—a natural byproduct of co-operating the Calligram imprint. In this case, familiarity in no way breeds contempt; if anything, his enlarged presence has afforded an enhanced appreciation of the Chicago saxophonist's gifts, his reliability, consistency, and versatility. As a player, Bradfield never disappoints, whether it involves his own releases or those by others, and every session is better for him appearing on it. His partners on Open or Close, a live set recorded at Chicago's Green Mill on November 26th, 2025, are distinguished, drummer Dana Hall a recurring presence in Bradfield's company and clarinetist Ben Goldberg and pianist Myra Melford strong players and leaders in their own right. With four such powerful voices collaborating, memorable music can't help but result. And a collaboration it is, with the release credited equally to all four and featuring compositions by all too.

If anything, it's surprising that Open or Close is the first document of them together, given the connections they've shared over the years. Just as Hall and Bradfield have worked with one another for decades, Goldberg and Melford have also, since 2002 in her Be Bread project and on the 2016 duo record Dialogues. Inching closer to the quartet as presented, Bradfield, Goldberg, and Hall convened for the album General Semantics six years ago. Strongly respected, Melford is, in this context as she is elsewhere, her usual uncompromising and idiosyncratic self, and the same could be said about Goldberg, credited with clarinet and contra alto clarinet. No bassist appears in the group, but Bradfield's bass clarinet—he also plays tenor and soprano saxophones—and Goldberg's contra alto are effective substitutes. Hall's never less than attentive and responsive, flamboyant but not excessively so.

No quartet can go wrong in starting with Ornette Coleman's rousing “Open or Close” when the material carries with it the Texas legend's familiar sensibility. After the looping theme's delivered, the quartet's true colours come to the fore as the different personalities impose themselves, the abstractionist Melford playful as her flurries dance across the keyboard, Hall fulminating alongside. Duo and trio matchups occur, with Bradfield swinging against the now-explosive Hall and teasing out the theme. On the album's second cover, the four tackle South African bassist Johnny Dyani's “Lonely Flowers,” its sinuous funk groove stoked by Goldberg's contra alto, Hall's eruptive attack, and serpentine thrust generated by Bradfield and Melford.

Characteristic of Melford's style is “A Line With a Mind of Its Own,” a setting inspired by American artist Cy Twombly and reprised from her 2025 trio recording Splash. As through-composed as much of it is, it still exudes an open-ended feel when the drummer freely extemporizes amidst the spidery entwine of his colleagues. An ear-tickling Bradfield homage to pianist Abdullah Ibrahim follows, “No Brand” memorably undergirding Bradfield's bright soprano with Goldberg's steady bass pulse.

Two Goldberg pieces occupy the album's centre, both introduced with duos by Goldberg and Bradfield. Hearing tenor and clarinet coil so snugly on “Study of the Blues” entices, especially when the playing lives up to the title's billing. Flirtations with shuffle and gospel episodes surface, the quartet showing itself to be an ever-elastic and slippery proposition. Clarinets initiate the irreverent “Three Ingredients” before it develops into a sprawling free-for-all. Hall also contributes a piece, the cheekily-titled set-ender “Aargh,” three minutes of wailing free-bop to send the customers home satisfied. The tune's the shortest of the eight presented, yet in its own way it might be the one that best captures the adventurous spirit of the outfit.

It's too early to tell if Open or Close will be a one-off or the first in a string of releases by the four. Regardless, what's here amply rewards one's time and attention, particularly when the experienced front-liners are Goldberg and Bradfield and Melford's skittering piano is part of the mix.

September 2026