Guitarist Kevin Eubanks is gifted with sublime talents on both electric and nylon acoustic guitar. He splits the album up divided between two bands, the first half with Orrin Evans/p-key, Dave Holland/b, Nicholas Payton/tp and Jeff “Tain” Watts/dr and the second half teaming Rene Camacho/b, MinoCinelu/perc, Bill Pierce/ts and Marvin “Smitty” Smith.
The first question has to be “why do drummers have to have nicknames?” That aside, The other one has to be “Where has Pierce been hiding since teaming with the Marsalis Brothers back in the 80s with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers?” He sounds wonderfully muscular on the Afro Cuban read of “Take the Coltrane,” sizzle with the leader’s guitar on the tribal groove of “Cuban Chant” and goes back and forth on the post bop modal read of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” He is breathy on the cozy “My One and Only Love” where Eubanks is at his sublime best, and since it is the guitarist’s session, let it be known that he does a rich pulse with Watt’s as they snap together for Payton’s hip horn on “Time Line.”
Eubanks is ebullient in mixing nylon with electric strings on the graceful “Poet” and dances around Evans dark keys with Holland on “Carnival.” This album is a real treat!