There are only a handful of contemporary guitarists that one must consistently keep abreast of in order to understand the present state of music. Along with Pat Metheny, Kurt Rosenwinkel is in that tier, so every release is always a thrill.
This one is no different, as it catalogues his “road team” of Aaron Parks/p-key, Eric Revis/b and Greg Hutchinson/dr on their recent tour of the states. Rosenwinkel’s sound has thickened a bit, and he has some fun with the pedals, creating clever sounds as on the sinewy and mellow ‘Cycle Five” or the lyrical “Sole’” with Parks in a Chopinesque mood on the piano. When Parks switches to keyboards, things get a bit richer, as the soulful “Our Secret World” has some palpable textures, while Revis and Hutchinson created an attractively restless undercurrent during “Undercover”. Hutchinson simmers under Rosenwinkel’s permutations on “The Past Intact” and the leader puts his pedal to the metal on “Music”. Sorry I missed this tour? Any encore tours?