Although this is subtitled “a tribute to Wes Montgomery,” there are none of Wes’ compositions or other tunes associated with him, and the 12 tracks include a drum solo, bass solo, and bass/drums duo. But if it’s odd as a tribute, this is a very commendable guitar trio outing, as the leader also solos and plays duos with his cohorts so that all combinations are explored. Diorio is an intelligent soloist with original ideas, especially interesting when he throws dissonant voicings into his readings of tunes like “In a Sentimental Mood.” The adventurous duo with drummer Steve Bagby is the highlight for me. Diorio’s bassy, almost constricted tone works well on the discordant voicings, but causes things to sound a little muddled when bassist Steve Laspana’s line gets at all involved (“Invitation”). This distraction is easily outweighed, however; all three men play well individually and collectively and the solos, duos, and trios flow together nicely. – Duck Baker
Originally PublishedRelated Posts
Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee: Backwater Blues
Start Your Free Trial to Continue Reading

Jonathan Butler: The Simple Life
Jonathan Butler’s optimistic music belies a dirt-poor childhood growing up in a South Africa segregated by apartheid. Live in South Africa, a new CD and DVD package, presents a sense of the resulting inner turmoil, mixed with dogged resolve, that paved the way to his status as an icon in his country and successful musician outside of it. Looking back, the 46-year-old Butler says today, the driving forces that led to his overcoming apartheid-the formal policy of racial separation and economic discrimination finally dismantled in 1993-were family, faith and abundant talent.
“When we were kids, our parents never talked about the ANC [African National Congress] or Nelson Mandela,” he says. Butler was raised as the youngest child in a large family. They lived in a house patched together by corrugated tin and cardboard, in the “coloreds only” township of Athlone near Cape Town. “They never talked about struggles so we never knew what was happening.”
Start Your Free Trial to Continue Reading

Scott LaFaro
Previously unavailable recordings and a new bio illuminate the legend of bassist Scott LaFaro
Kurt Elling: Man in the Air
Nate Chinen makes the argument that Kurt Elling is the most influential jazz vocalist of our time