Prolific drummer/composer Dave King is well known for his propulsive work in a number of different bands. From The Bad Plus to Happy Apple to Halloween, Alaska, each group has its own sound and approach, but all are approached in a steadfast manner. These groups are all serious units of focused players who are completely dialed in, honing a solid band sound and identity. It is King s attraction to a strong group concept that led to his creation of his Trucking Company band and his increasing focus thereon.

On its third recording, Surrounded By The Night, the Trucking Company has solidified its identity with new material and a slightly changed lineup. The addition of the Minneapolis born, Brooklyn based bassist Chris Morrissey strengthens the Minnesota-New York connection that has been part of the identity of the ensemble, featuring the saxophone (and clarinet!) of Brooklynite Chris Speed alongside Minnesotans saxophonist Brandon Wozniak and guitarist Erik Fratzke, since its inception.

The Trucking Company was born out of the necessity to play out and out songs, music stemming from Dave and Co. s love of jazz and the avant-garde but also rock, country and blues music. Their unique sound comes from the commingling of these influences along with the distinct instrumentation of two tenor saxes, guitar, bass and drums. All of the members have a jazz pedigree but it is their pop sensibilities that make them perfectly suited for this song-oriented ensemble.

The dual saxes allow for a singular choral sound, especially on passages where Speed, who King hears as Lester Young playing avant-garde, and Wozniak, a muscular hard bop devotee, play in unison. The effect is a widening of tone based on the microtonal differences between the two players, not dissimilar to the doubling of voice that Peter Gabriel utilizes on his records. Needless to say, Gabriel never had Fratzke, whose guitar playing can range from thoughtful strums to a powerful thrash.

The drive of the Trucking Company has renewed King s confidence in the music. The group can handle anything that he throws at it, including his difficult charts that are memorized for performance. If it was required of the road worn legends of the past, it should be required of as seasoned musicians as are found here.

Of course, the Trucking Company lends itself to King s favorite brands of Americana. The group s name speaks to romantic notions of Brylcreem and the lonesome highway. The title Surrounded By The Night has a certain Bruce Springsteen je ne sais quoi. So naturally, the music, which mainly stems from King s pen, is meant to have cinematic, Midwestern, big sky sensibilities.