Few albums capture the excitement of bebop these days, usually being watered down by rock or fusion. Guitarist Pasquale Grasso teams up with drummer Keith Balla and bassist Ari Roland for a straight, no chaser take of bopping standards, capturing the intensity of early modern jazz.
For one tune he’s joined by the lovely vocalist Samara Joy for an easy swing read of “I’m In A Mess”, but besides that you get some quicksilver finger work as on the rapid “Be-Bop” the clear and clean “Cheryl” and a gorgeous solo read of “Ruby My Dear”. Balla uses the brushes deftly on “Ornithology” and Roland bows out the blues on Grasso’s own “Lamento Deela Campagnia”. Finger poppin’”
Guitarist Steve Tibbetts delivers a two disc opus in a wide swath of settings, playing not only his acoustic guitar, but also going electric, as well as bringing in dobro, kalimba, piano and percussion with a cut and paste collection of artists such as Marc Anderson/perc, Michelle Kinney/cel, Jon Anton-Eric Anderson-Bob Hughes/b, Mike Olson/synth, Marcus Wise/table, Tim Weinhold/bong and Claudia Schmidt-Rhea Valentine/voc. Keeping score yet?
The songs themselves have Tibbetts plugging in for a mellow fusion of “Mile 234” with voices and electric effects creating soundscapes on “”Nyemma”. Both acoustic and electric guitars get a turn on the mystical “My Last Chance” and the strings are dreamy on “Black Temple”. He rocks with percussion on the progressive “Chondoha” and percolating “Chandogra” with some Middle Eastern tones on “Wish”. Things you might be familiarly associated with Tibbetts are heard on the pretty nyloned “Threnody” and dream y “Black Temple”. Is this Tibbetts’ White Album?