Guitars team up with horns and voices on these recent releases.
Reg Schwager plays a variety of guitars and Ryan Oliver switches between saxes nd flutes with a rhythm section of Rick Peck/key, Rene Worst/b and Ernesto Cervini/dr. The team mixes a poppish sound with modern jazz on “Another Happening” and “Squagels” with Cervini deft on the brushes. Schwager’s acoustic guitar teams with Oliver’s flute for a pretty “Tender Love” while a plugged in guitar digs in on “Blues for Josie Rose”. The team sounds a bit like Weather Report with Cervini digging in on a rocking “Black Horse” with Peck’s keyboards, and a concert take of “Blues For Josie” has Oliver tapping into his inner Coltrane. Plugged in pleasures.
On electric guitar, Noshir Mody brings in Benjamin Hankle/fh, Campbell Charshee/p, Yuka Tadano/b, Ronen Itzik/dr and vocalist Kate Victor for a collection of originals. Mody’s clean guitar lines work well with Hankle on the galloping “What Tomorrow May Bring” with Itzik getting some space on “The Yards”. Victor is dainty and folksy on “A Love Song” and the band gets most dramatic on “In The Absence of Answers” with Mody building up to a riveting climax. A wide palate of colors.