Dom Minasi Trio: Takin’ the Duke Out

Guitarist Dom Minasi continues his small-scale comeback with this trio recording of Ellington tunes, and at least superficially, the title lays it out. With bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Jackson Krall on hand, Minasi runs though six classic Ellington songs, taking very large liberties along the way. But Duke fanatics take note: the trio really isn’t interested in exploring the inner space of these tunes. Rather, Minasi and company weave fragments and distorted passages of familiar Ellingtonia into their long, murky, free improvisations-casting the great man as a presence instead of looking to him as a musical model.