Saxophonist Carl Smith has led a lonely avant-jazz assault on Austin over the past decade. In a town where few others play adventurous or free jazz, at times it has seemed that Smith was a lone torchbearer for this music. His long-standing group ECFA is often presented as a trio with drums and second saxophone or (in the first half of its existence) James Alexander’s viola. What bass player in town would play this kind of music? (Beau Sample, who rarely makes ECFA a quartet). Consequently Smith’s evolution as a bandleader and composer has been to find ways for two melody instruments to flesh out all of the harmonic spaces of a piece without anything except a standard drum kit. This has lead to highly contrapual writing, the two forefront instruments forming a living handshake through Smith’s scores (which always have open passages for free playing). Der Wald presents the final days of the trio with soprano saxophonist Holland Hopson before his move to Albany. With most tracks penned by Carl or improvised by the trio, and pieces dedicated to Eric Dolphy and Bobby Jaspar, Carl’s fire music displays a smart conceptual edge. Replacing Hopson on one track, saxophonist Alex Coke (known for his tenures with the Willem Breuker Kollektief and Tina Marsh’s Creative Opportunity Orchestra) jumps on Steve Lacy’s “The Retreat.” The smooth and fluid playing of both saxophonists emphasize the snaky nature of ECFA’s m.o. Coke’s solo over drums treats our ears. Ah... there is Jazz in Austin. --Josh Ronsen, Monk Mink Pink Punk #15, fanzine, July 2008