Brent Jarvis: Dragonfly

As a composer, Canadian pianist Brent Jarvis' ear is irrestibly drawn to harmonies and rhythms from well south of his usual orbit; more spefically, to the island of Cuba, from where Jarvis draws the lion's share of his inspiration for Dragonfly, his sixth recording as solo pianist or leader of a group.

On this studio date, Jarvis supervises a rhythmically fine-tuned sextet, one of whose members is percussionist Jose Sanchez, and another of whom—trumpeter Miguelito Valdes—plays congas, bongos, shekere, guiro and quinta. While the percussionists are certainly put to good use, it is Jarvis' limber and expressive piano (and Fender Rhodes) that sets the compass and seals the deal. He is completely comfortable in this setting, and his resourceful solos mirror that ease and assurance.

Valdes appends some noteworthy ad libs, as do saxophonists Ben Henriquez (tenor) and Monik Nordine (alto and soprano). Bassist Steve MacDonald completes the roster, keeping steady and discerning time. Besides leading the way with his thoughtful commentary, Jarvis wrote and arranged the album's six lustrous and pleasing numbers.

Even though there are no flag-wavers on the agenda, the overall imprint is rhythmically strong, thanks in part to the metrical artistry of Sanchez and Valdes as well as to Jarvis' talent for writing music that swings at any tempo. Valdes and Nordine fit in nicely, adding sharp improvisation and graphic color to the mix.

Jarvis is widely admired and respected north of the U.S. border and elsewhere for his remarkable skills as a performer and writer. Dragonfly should serve to enhance further his already enviable reputation.