This is the first album I’ve heard from guitarist Greg Chako, and I already want to dig deeper into his catalogue. What do I like about him? First, he writes his own material, which is quite wide in dimension, and his clean line never overstay their welcome; they always swing without wasting a note.
Here, he’s teamed up with drummer Michael Meloy, bassist Mason Daugherty, percussionist Steve Thornton and guest pianist Wayne Yeager for a few tracks.
Chako’s got a dna-based rhythm to his touch, sensuous on samba material such as the lithe quartet take of “Jayflower” as well as with Yeager on the Brazilian “Changes”. Chako taps into his Spanish Quarter romance mentality on the lilting “Love For Latin”, and saunters on the pulsating title tune. There are hints of the likes of Grant Green on the relaxed “Miami Ballad” and tasty conversation with Daugherty on the delectable “Jaime’s Waltz” while the blues are painted with a thin brush on the earthy “You Don’t Know What Funk Is” and hipster’d “Jay All Day”. When’s this guy from Cincinnati hitting the West Coast?