On this album guitarist Matt Panayides is joined by bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, and they take on eight songs by six jazz composers (including two apiece by Cedar Walton and Wayne Shorter) plus reinvented versions of three standards. There is close interplay between the three musicians and while Panayides is very much the leader he also gives plenty of solo space to both LaSpina and Pinciotti so all three musicians have plenty of room to shine. The result is post-bop jazz which is inventive and interesting as everyone works around the melodies but brings them to nice conclusions. Panayides has a very fluid style, so much so that his playing is often more like liquid than individual notes, yet the other two are always right there with him to provide the correct support.

There are many styles taken onboard as the trio work through the likes of Frank Foster’s jazz waltz “Simone,” there is a powerful take on Chick Corea’s “Straight Up And Down,” Cedar Walton’s “Hindsight,” a tasteful yet passionate revival of Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti,” and Joe Henderson’s “Serenity.” Cedar Walton’s “Mode For Joe” swings hard, as does Shorter’s “Ju Ju” and Woody Shaw’s “Moon Trane.” “I Fall In Love Too Easily” is given an imaginative reharmonization, “Moon River” is reinvented as an introspective unaccompanied guitar showcase where Panayides takes a long time to get to the main melody, so much so that one may well not recognise it when it commences, and it is only as time progresses that it becomes more apparent. If you enjoy jazz lead guitar then this is worth investigating further.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
http://www.mattpanayides.com/
https://pacificcoastjazz.com/