This is an intriguing two-CD set from multi-reedist
Andy Suzuki, a fixture in Los Angeles-area clubs, most notably as a member of the Cecilia Coleman Quintet and with his own groups. The first disc is acoustic and finds
Suzuki (who is heard on soprano, alto, tenor, bass clarinet and, on "Tico Tico," on clarinet and flutes) interacting with some of the local scene's top jazz players. Among his sidemen are bassist Dean Taba, drummer Kendall Kay, guitarist
Brad Rabuchin and trumpeter Steve Huffsteter among others; the instrumentation (ranging from a duet to a few different septets).constantly changes.
Suzuki performs ten challenging originals plus a reinterpretation of "Tico Tico" and the leader comes across as an adventurous yet accessible player. The second disc is quite a bit different. An electronic oriented set, the music ranges from "Slaughterhouse Hot Pepper" (which sounds like a
Miles Davis fusion exploration in the early '70s) to a few tunes that could pass as crossover except that they tend to have some eccentric twists to them. With
Nick Manson, Curtis Brengle and/or Craig Ochikubo on keyboards, and either Jimmy Mahlis, Andy Abad,
Brad Rabuchin, Ken Berry or Kenny Lasaine on guitar, the music is denser, funkier and much more rock oriented than one would expect after having heard the first disc. In general, Andy Suzuki's playing here is ensemble-oriented (he is heard less as a soloist) and, although not without interest, this half of the program seems anti-climatic after the first. Actually the two-fer (which really would have benefited from some liner notes that talked about Suzuki's musical goals) probably should have been two separate CDs. However, there is enough strong music to make it worth getting as an example of Andy Suzuki's talents. ~ Scott Yanow