Chris Mondak: Glass Spheres

The 24-year-old Venezuelan-born bassist and composer Chris Mondak presents his latest recording of exciting new jazz on the varied Glass Spheres, offering an intriguing and absorbing selection of originals that explores a range of styles from swing, pop and bebop to avant-garde. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Mondak and his band have become a regular feature in Nashville's burgeoning jazz scene after a brief history of performing in venues from Cleveland to Chicago and New York as well as internationally including in Panama and China.

Anchoring a standard rhythm section of piano, bass and drums, Mondak augments the musical diversity by including guitarist Lindon McCarty and Hunter Smith on the tenor saxophone, forming a quintet of gifted young players with pianist Gabe Feldman and Australian drummer Chris Broomhead rounding out the cast.

The seven-piece repertoire kicks off with the sparkling bebop burner "Low" featuring sprite solo moments from each member of the band. The following "Oath Keeper" takes the sound in a swinging direction playing hard and fast inspired by an episode of the TV show Game of Thrones. In contrast, "Brume" is lighter and melodic and the only balladic-style piece of the set.

Turning to a less traditional number, "In Sleep" is a haunting tune with a hard percussive overtone and not much in melody; a short and introspective piece of music. "Juicy Red" returns the group to a more modern and contemporary sound worthy of repeated spins. The mid-tempo romp of "The Only One" and the slight New Orleans-tinged sound of the finale, "Hats Off,"closes out a session of impressive new material from Mondak.

One of the talented young lions of the jazz world today, Mondak's diverse compositions on Glass Spheres makes for an engaging musical experience.

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