Dream Life is the potent follow-up to 1999's Lines and Ballads, again featuring tenor saxophonist Matt Renzi, drummer Jimmy Weinstein, and bassist Masa Kamaguchi. The trio returns with another charged and unusual assortment of tunes, beginning with an ethereal, pedal-point treatment of Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation," the fast bop line becoming more of a pensive incantation in Renzi's hands. Coleman surfaces again with the hymn-like "All My Life" (with an extended Kamaguchi intro), as well as the reprise of "Blues Connotation" that closes the record. Other highlights include Tony Scott's rubato "Israel" (not to be confused with the well-known John Carisi tune), the Denny Zeitlin gem "Quiet Now," and a roughened-up reading of Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino." Weinstein provides the one original, a bluesy free bop line that gives the album its title. (The comparatively dry sound of "If I Should Lose You" is explained by the fact that it's a home recording from a different day. Some may like it even better.) ~ David R. Adler