Three Squared

After meeting at Metro State while studying under Ron Miles and Fred Hess, Three Squared formed four years ago as a quartet with a mutual love for freedom in music-making and improvisation. While 2008's Let's Play Ping Pong was a damn fine effort, drummer Antwon Owens, guitarist Jim Disner, bassist Nathan Walter and saxophonist Matt King have made a big leap forward with the six original compositions that make up Object (whose release they'll celebrate this Friday, November 26, at Dazzle). While they are each adept as players and composers and have a good handle on the jazz idiom, it's as a unit that they truly excel: Four years together has strengthened the quartet into a cohesive act that essentially uses jazz as a springboard to explore other musical territory.