Los Angeles, CA based jazz guitarist Kim Reith uses a hollow-body electric for a set consisting of her original works and Thelonius Monk’s “Epistrophy.” She adheres to the classic, jazz guitar trio format, featuring a sympathetic rhythm section sans any notions of flash and dazzle. Reith’s strengths reside within her Monk-like sense of rhythm, brimming with staggered flows, acute use of space, and an animated mode of execution. She provides the technical details on a per track basis, as she employs George Russell’s “Lydian Chromatic Concepts,” to complement her deliberate manner of stating a theme. There’s an intertwining quality to this outing, especially when viewed upon as an entity. Reith’s compositional structures unfold amid slight variations. She casts a cerebral or somewhat studious demeanor, although a few more dynamics might have elevated the excitement factor a bit. Nonetheless, her warm-toned lines and inventive phraseology should win the hearts of more than just a few jazz aficionados.

Kim Reith