Coming five years after
Ritualism, his debut as a leader,
Unified Presence is the sound of jazz guitarist
David Gilmore (not to be confused with
Pink Floyd guitarist
David Gilmour) not coming into his own -- he did that a long time ago -- but ascending to the top of his craft.
Gilmore has put in plenty of time lending his virtuosity to others -- among them
Wayne Shorter,
Cassandra Wilson,
Don Byron and
Steve Coleman -- and was also a prominent member of the '90s fusion band
Lost Tribe. But here he has crafted a wondrous individualistic work that defines him as a commanding presence in contemporary jazz guitar.
Gilmore prefers a pure tone (think
Wes Montgomery and early
George Benson brought into the 21st century) -- he's not one to venture into abrasive textures or challenging signatures -- yet his playing is anything but predictable or safe. He is precise and fluid, given to unexpected rhythmic twists and deep melodic explorations, and his complex solos build upon a theme, ignite and embellish. It doesn't hurt that he's surrounded himself with a cast of intuitive players here who would elevate any set of tunes: bassist
Christian McBride, drummer
Jeff "Tain" Watts and saxman
Ravi Coltrane, with vocalist
Claudia Acuña turning up on the album-closing "Beijo Partido (Broken Kiss)."
Gilmore's titling of the album
Unified Presence was quite deliberate: together these players lock into a groove as one and never let go. There are no weak links on
Unified Presence, and with it
Gilmore has graduated to the head of the class. ~ Jeff Tamarkin