Joaquin Chacon: Out of This World

It would have been a nice touch if the packagers of Out of This World (Fresh Sound New Talent) spelled drummer Keith Copeland’s name correctly on the album’s back cover. Even though it’s guitarist Joaquin Chacon’s session, Copeland is the bright light shining throughout, refusing to sit still during the rest of the quartet’s rather low-key performances on this set of standards and Chacon originals. It’s during Copeland’s solo intro to Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge” (the third track) that he takes over, and from there on out it’s tough not to focus just on him. If you can, you’ll come to wholly appreciate the album, regardless that pianist Ben Besiakov and bassist Sigurd Ulveseth don’t have as much to say as Copeland or Chacon, whose polished, modern tone has a roundness that shores any edge off his bluesy lines and lends the recording a laid-back feel something like a pre-smooth 1970s George Benson might have recorded if he hadn’t had Creed Taylor all up in his business.

Originally Published March 1, 2005