Air, Open Air Suit (side A)

Air's records are remarkably stylistically consistent, and 1978's Open Air Suit is no exception.  The liner notes discuss a compositional strategy involving a suit and cards, but it's hard to tell how literally these comments should be taken.  The pieces weave between jazzy propulsion, spacier slow sections, and subtle textural playing — all three styles are executed tastefully and effectively.  The distinguishing trait of Open Air Suit is the foreground placement of Steve McCall's amazing drumming.  He's compressed, bright, and always at the front of the mixes.  The snare cracks as if on a rock album, and the high-frequency EQ boost on the cymbals leaps inappropriately out of the mix.  His playing, fortunately, is great, and far more sympathetic to the rest of the trio (Henry Threadgill on reeds and Fred Hopkins on bass) than its technical placement.  The less said about the front cover image, the better.