A good quartet release, featuring
Juris
on guitar,
Phil Markowitz
on piano,
Jay Anderson
on bass, and
Matt Wilson
on drums.
' originals range from the angular free
bop
of
"Mergatroid"
to the breezy
jazz
waltz
"Sim 95,"
to the dark
balladry
"Berlin"
and the intriguing 7/4 syncopation of
"Bravo Rio"
(the latter two performed beautifully on acoustic guitar).
Tom Harrell
's
"Sail Away"
and
John Coltrane
"26-2"
are inspired covers, posing starkly different improvisational challenges and showcasing the band's versatility and depth.
Markowitz
is characteristically dazzling, his acoustic piano balancing
' penchant for signal processing; their duo reading of
"Sweet and Lovely"
is a highlight. At times
' chorus-laden sound can grow wearying; when he finally shuts off the effect for the closing trio piece,
"I'll Close My Eyes,"
his ideas come through more clearly. That said, his occasional use of a guitar-synth pickup results in some very novel phrasing. ~ David R. Adler