If one baritone saxophone counts as a curiosity, and two make up an anomaly, what do three, four or more playing together at New Orleans Jazz Fest amount to?
Lewis - partnered by Tony Dagradi (Astral Project), Tim Green, Calvin Johnson and Dan Oestricker (the latter playing bass) - coaxed a remarkable span of sonorities from an instrument typically regarded as a low-register, supporting entity. Baritones can growl, but they can also sing, and sing lusciously. And despite the sheer size of the baritone and bass saxophones, they can be strikingly flexible in attack, precise and sweet even when extended upward.
Several of the numbers heard Friday were original compositions by Lewis, in arrangements that preserved interior textures that could all too easily be squandered. Another selection, by group pianist Mari Watanabe, exploded in deliberate chaos before launching the ensemble in full-tilt, tumultuous ecstasy.
Drummer Shannon Powell contributed some wicked tambourine licks amid a concluding solo, confirming that Baritone Bliss's depth extends well past its nominal namesakes. Their fine madness, it appears, isn't so mad after all.