Creative interplay with electric guitarist Kevin Eubanks and drummer/percussionist Obed Calvaire are masterly held together by the electric and acoustic basses of jazz master Dave Holland. Each piece is a wondrous mosaic of sounds, at time swingingly acoustic and others sparklingly electric.
With Holland at the electric bass, a funky backbeat with Calvaire sets a rich groove for Eubanks’ rollicking digs on “Grave Walker” while Calvaire’s cymbals sparkle around Eubanks’ searing strings on the rocking “The Village”. With Holland at the upright acoustic, there’s a relentless throb under deft brush work and tensile guitar work on “Another Land” and a deep rivulet is dug for nifty guitar pickings or “Gentle Warrior”. Holland’s bow glides deftly on the coy “20/20” and his picking spacious for the blue “The Village”. I hope this album isn’t a one-off, as I’d wait in line for quite awhile to see them in concert.