When the road beckons, both the talented and the worldly return the call. Recently Cambridge was privileged with not one, but two opportunities to experience the art of Tatsuya Nakatani, an individual whose creativity embodies a spirit of adventure in both of these aspects and more. Indeed, his set at Inman Square’s Outpost 186 was beyond categorization.

Over the course of two hour-plus sets, the Quartet — comprised of saxophonist Jim Hobbs, trumpeter Forbes Graham, bassist John Voigt and Nakatani on drums and percussion of all types — explored dynamics outside, around and within music of various textures. Drawing on classic bebop and post-bop jazz traditions, the combo embarked on bouts of bold group improvisation, as well as each player taking a phrase in turn. Taken alone, the players’ soloing itself was rich and adventurous. As a unit, however, the group improv was risky and exhilarating, and often breathtaking in its execution.

Certainly, the focal point of the outfit was Tatsuya Nakatani. His ability to seamlessly meld conventional drumming and completely off-the-wall percussive work was something which this writer has never witnessed. Nakatani’s use of “singing bowls” brought new meaning to the concept, as he placed various bowls across his kit and drew a stringed bow across the edge of each, creating unique chords and combinations of pitch and timbre. Similarly, bassist John Voigt spent a fair portion of the evening playing his instrument with a bow, creating an ethereal ambiance when combined with Nakatani’s unique percussion work as the two instrumentalists would often take turns working solely off of one another.

Nakatani’s Quartet in Inman Square was one of the finest, most daring evenings of jazz in the city this year. In assembling this outfit, Nakatani set up a band which often resembled the sound of a tear in the temporal fabric of the universe, and the proceeding mass rushing in to repair the seam.