Saxophonist Walter Smith III’s evocative low-lights tenor sound and drily quixotic irregularities of phrasing have already graced a fine album this year – Whirlwind Recording’s Twio session, on which Joshua Redman guested. On this set Smith’s frontline partner is the Toronto-born guitarist Matthew Stevens, a genre-bridging player who has worked with Esperanza Spalding and Christian Scott, among many others. Twio was a bright swing-to-bop venture, but In Common takes more of a creative gamble in assembling five fine sidemen to explore 10 intentionally sketchy original themes in impromptu duos and collective conversations. The written music definitely takes a back seat. ‘Freefive’, a short intro delivered as the atmospherically dolorous weave of Smith’s tenor among Stevens’ drifting chords, sets the loose, collaborative tone. Marcus Gilmore’s drums pick up a light-stepping groove under the skeletal theme of Stevens’ ‘Unsung’, a vehicle for the guitarist’s engagingly sparing solo style. ‘ACE’, a highlight of the set, opens with a sound like rain cascading on metal, and becomes a rising and falling three-chord throb over which Smith’s dark, glancing tenor phrasing resignedly glides. Geri Allen’s ‘Unconditional Love’, the only cover, features a superb Smith solo of sardonic slurs, sliding ascents, and contrastingly precise double-time runs resolving in startled squeals. In Common is an inventive workout for a classy, likeminded and broadminded outfit – the only downside is that the urge to keep the tunes out of the improvisers’ way takes them to the borderline of anonymity.