Christoph Josquin: Early in the Morning

The CD tray closes, and the smooth jazz ride cloud begins.  Laced with intricate instrument interactions over silky grooves, keyboardist Christoph Josquin's debut CD demonstrates fluency in a variety of modes.  

From the head-bob-inducing " Summer Holidays ," to the sultry R&B-fused " My Only Love and Electric Blue ," to the richly blended "Doing," Josquin introduces himself as a capable NAC writer and player — hooky piano leads, flowing bridges, well-placed bell accents. 

The ride picks up speed.  He starts pushing the envelope, making edgier statements on the galloping "Coastline" and spacious "Questions." 

What happens next? More envelope pushing. Josquin performs passionately on " A Time and a Place ," and scampers nicely over the funky, bass-heavy " Bet You Didn't Know That ." His gritty-then-gracious "Reprise" closes out the disc. Bumpy but exhilarating, the ride has come to an end.

The well-played but loopy "Keep Giving" left me wanting, and there are some mix issues. Overall though, not a bad first effort.

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