With Pat Metheny’s appearances becoming all the rarer, the question comes to which artist will take his baton forward. Bulgarian born and CA-stationed Hristo Vitchev has thrown his hat into the ring and showed at his recent cd release concert at the Blue Whale that he is possibly the Mediteranean Metheny, combining modern and melodic themes with a dash of Adriatic warmth.
Teamed with his long time associates Jasnam Daya Singh/p, Dan Robbins/b and Mike Shannon/dr, Vitchev focused on material from his latest album with the concert opening with his title track “Of Light and Shadows” highlighting both his and the band’s strengths. Propelled by Robbins’ galloping bass, the rhythm team created waxing and waning ebbs and flows for Vitchev’s adventurous yet accessible solos while Singh held down the anchor leg with rich chords and full handed lyricism.
Aegean waves flowed on “The Mask of Agamemnon” as Robbins’ opening solo lead the way for him, Vitchev and Shannon to create intuitive three way conversations with exotic harmonic and rhythmic images overlooking the Black Sea. A Brazilian “Selective Absorption” had Singh and Vitchev dancing the joyful melody together in unison as Singh’s solo danced and Vitchev’s fingers pranced up and down the guitar neck. A gorgeous ballad “At Your Side” featured Shannon’s delicate brushes as the guitar/piano combo created dew droplets of delight during the serenade.The band showed it could also swing, closing with a hip groove for a bopping “Old Theme” that had three pairs of fingers flying together in an intricate photo finish.
The mix of 21st Century modal moods with traditional Old World melodies were weaved together like a Raphael tapestry, creating rich textures of sound and rhythm. These guys could easily take guitar and jazz fans to the next level, and Vitchev welcomed the interested crowd to follow him on his path this Thursday night in Little Tokyo.
Upcoming shows at The Blue Whale include Sean Harrison 08/20, Larry Goldings 08/24, Darek Oles 08/26, and Bennie Maupin 08/31