Mike Baggetta Quartet, Thieves and Secrets

Mike Baggetta, guitarist, composer, bandleader. His quartet was present on an excellent CD I covered here in 2011 (type his name into the search box above). The four return with another one, if anything even more fully realized, Thieves and Secrets (Fresh Sound New Talent 436).

The quartet has nothing lacking in the lineup of Mike on guitars, Jason Rigby saxophones, Eivind Opsvik on contrabass and George Schuller on drums. Each are stylists in their own right, known for creative smarts and individuality, all of which meshes very well in this quartet.

Many guitarists when launching their own bands put great emphasis on their own playing and a showcase fitting in with that idea. Mike gets plenty of space here to show his wide-ranging musical thinking as a guitarist, yet the band itself and the concept of free yet worked-though sounds is at least as equally important.

And that is what makes this album special, or part of it anyway.

There are all manner of moods in the pieces here, much of it melodically direct and infectious, all of it showing an involved dynamic or four excellent players both listening to each other and setting individual roles far more than imitative.

Mike shows in the process that he is a voice that electrified or less so has an original stance, spontaneous and fresh, musically evolved, whether jazz-rocking it or freely articulating. And nicely so, the rest of the band also shows these qualities.

The compositions are memorable and the music stands out. This is an excellent listen. Lend your ears!

Fernando Ulibarri, Transform

When life is like a whirlwind, we have to learn to fly alongside. That's how I feel writing up the last review post of the week, number 15. I have to sort through the press sheets this weekend because they are out of order and so I don't have the background on the artist here that I would like. OK, I found his website. Guitarist Fernando Ulibarri hails from Costa Rica, went to Berklee, graduated, went on to get his MA from Florida International University in Miami. And he remains based in that city.

OK, good. His album Transform (self-released) focuses on a fine quartet doing some memorable Ulibarri numbers in a rock-inflected modern jazz vein. This is harmonically based changes music that Ulibarri negotiates with melodic liveliness. His guitar work sings. His band has the right cats for this music. Jim Gasior plays piano and keys in the vein that makes something out of the changes too. Bassist Josh Allen and drummer John Yarling have that relaxed push jazz-rock that we can trace back to Gary Burton's early-to-mid period recordings. But they do it well.

Fernando is an artiste. You might hear the influence of Metheny but with a bright kind of transcendence that goes beyond the imitation stage.

This is seriously good music and Mr. Ulibarri will put a smile on your face. Nice!