Orrin Evans brings a guitar-laden team to the Sear Sound Studio for a “live in studio” album. He teams his piano and Rhodes with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Kevin Eubanks for a mix and match with Caleb Curtis/sax-fl, M’Balia/voc, Luques Curtis/b and Mark Whitfield, Jr/dr.
The album Is bookended by a pair of hip-hop electronic musings, but the meat and potatoes inside is rich and filling. Rosenwinkel fits in wonderfully with Evan’s calm piano and Whitfield’s ride cymbal on the liquid “Half The Battle” while there is a stark soulfulness to “When Jen Came In.” Rosenwinkel lays out a spacy intro to the cozy “Chiara,” but Eubanks makes his mark as well on the snappy “You Don’t Need A Liscence to Drive” while the two together are sublime on “Heavy Hangs the Head That Wears the Crown.”
Evans strides well with M’Balia” and Rosenwinkel on a clever take of David Bowie’s “Kooks” and sets the tone for easy soul on “That’s All” and “Zeni Bea” with Curtis in the wind. Sublime and subtle musings.