Yuval Amihai: My 90s Summer

This fourth album from Yuval Amihai takes inspiration from the halcyon days of a summer long past, recalling formative experiences of a youth spent in the desert city of Beer Sheva in Israel. But it also draws heavily on the guitarist's globetrotting as an adult, looking toward years spent in France and a new life in New York. A work supported by those broad interests and influences spanning decades, My 90s Summer is nevertheless a remarkably focused date showcasing a talent deserving greater recognition.

Leading a quartet that features piano heavyweight David Kikoski and the magically malleable rhythm combination of bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Jeremy Dutton, Amihai finds a place of strength and comfort from which to operate. Opening on the title track, things are sunny as can be. Amihai and Kikoski (on Fender Rhodes) speak to promise and possibility in their respective stands, Wheeler and Dutton lay down (and vary) a straight and solidly grooving foundation, and two guests— flutist Itai Kriss and tenor saxophonist Julieta Eugenio—paint brightly on backgrounds. The follow-up—"MEDB (Middle Eastern Desert Blues)"—speaks to arid allure before upping the intensity. Amihai and Kikoski both rise to the occasion, Dutton drives the proceedings while Wheeler steers, and Kriss and trumpeter Wayne Tucker add seesawing sentiments and shifting tides.

Eschewing standards and covers of any sort, Amihai follows those first two originals with six more that continue to highlight his gifts as a composer. Things simmer over the heat from Wheeler's slick stick work on "Gwen's Groove." Tenderness leads quickly to pure joy on "Song for Sacha." Optimism powers the upbeat "Smiles." And weighted bass and drums anchor "Yitgaber," a Hebraic happening in sound and substance. Then it all comes to a close with "Coming Through," a charmer featuring Kikoski's blithesome and bluesy piano, Amihai's forward-thinking finger work and Wheeler's dancing bass; and "Saturday Afternoon," which allows its architects to bask in the glimmer and glow of contentment. With a modernist's sensibility and a melodist's (he)art, Yuval Amihai clearly hits his mark with My 90s Summer.

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