March 2008

Fabian Zone Trio
The Masters Return!
Consolidated Artists

By Forrest Dylan Bryant

Christian Fabian’s band swings easily over this mix of new and classic bop tunes, serving them straight up and showing excellent poise. Fabian’s fat basslines and upbeat attitude set up several tasty solos, leaving pianist Mike Longo and drummer Lewis Nash plenty of room to make their own warm statements. Guest trumpeter Jimmy Owens and sax man Andres Boiarsky goose some of the uptempo numbers into a funkier space, while the trio casts a golden glow on ballads.