Sunday, April 24, 2005 Fred Hess enjoys his life outside the fast lane By Bret Saunders Fred Hess is such an accomplished saxophonist and composer, you can't help but wonder why he isn't lionized in magazines like Downbeat and Jazz Times. He conceives inviting themes and proceeds to play them inside out on his new disc, "Crossed Paths" (Tapestry), and the ensemble playing - from trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Matt Wilson - is on such a high level that they merit a run at an esoteric-hip locale like New York's Knitting Factory. But Hess prefers the life available to him in Colorado, teaching at Metro State (where he serves as coordinator of jazz studies) and playing the occasional live show, like the performance scheduled for the Five Points Jazz celebration Saturday. And there's no bitterness in his voice when he discusses the overall lack of opportunities to express himself more regularly on stage. "I don't think it's a matter of the scene being good or bad," says Hess. "It's the dilemma of jazz and where it fits in our culture right now. Jazz has a lot of genres. It's harder for people as listeners to take it all in." While he admits his work falls in the "mainstream to avant-garde" categories, his talents as a player and writer fall beyond any set style. "Crossed Paths" can simply be heard as the work of a gifted storyteller aware of the subtleties, ironies and humor in life. The music sometimes veers into colorful swirls of abstraction, but it's more likely to swing fluently. Hess and Miles trade extroverted phrases while Filiano and Wilson provide good-natured support throughout. "There was a lot of spontaneity. Things weren't always tight," Hess says of recording the disc. "We'd go into the booth and listen to what we just recorded, and they'd (other members of the quartet) say, 'What we did was so cool!' "You'd always like to hear what you wrote, but when you play jazz, things happen." Hess is pleased with the critical reaction to "Crossed Paths" so far, noting that he receives "a lot of inquiries from Europe" about his recordings. He seems happy to remain close to home and teach while cooking up unique compositions. Steady employment in academia appeals to him. And when it comes to his music, he can pursue his own ideas without worrying about paying the mortgage. "I can do my own CDs whenever I want and however I want," Hess says. That's good news for those who appreciate his take on creative music.