Alex Domschot, Marc Johnson, Vic Stevens: Venusian Commute

From the epic, 11-minute opener, “Sad Princess,” played on acoustic guitar and augmented by brooding string quartet, to an edgy, frantically paced cover of Jim Hall’s “Two’s Blues,” a lyrical samba treatment of the Beatles’ “Fool on the Hill” and the “All Blues”-y title track, the Seattle native and current New York resident cuts a wide stylistic swatch on this ambitious outing. Bassist Marc Johnson provides a some inspired interplay with drummer Vic Stevens on an Ornette Coleman tribute (“Coal Man”), which features an explosive, metallic-edged electric guitar solo by Domschot, and also on a swinging rendition of John Coltrane’s “Some Other Blues,” which has Domschot dipping into Scofield mode on his solo.

Johnson, whose deep-toned presence and impeccable time is felt profoundly throughout, delivers a dramatic bowed solo on the atmospheric, ECM-ish “Teachers.” He also skillfully weaves beautiful contrapuntal lines around Domschot’s guitar on the delicate Gary McFarland composition, “Gary’s Theme.” Great ideas and great chemistry.

Originally Published January 1, 2006