Madre Vaca: Knights of the Round Table

The legend of King Arthur and Camelot is depicted musically on Knights of the Round Table, the sixth album by the Florida-based eleven-member ensemble, Madre Vaca, whose themes are composed by drummer Benjamin Shorstein.

While Knights is presented as a ten-part suite, there seems to be no connecting tissue aside from the names of individual works —"Arthur," "Camelot," "Galahad," "Merlin," "Guinevere" and "Lancelot" among them. True, there seems to be an over-all medieval vibe underlining Shorstein's music, but that could be the placebo effect, as his compositions rest for the most part on a substratum of contemporary jazz, enhanced by uncommon and often crystalline departures.

The enigmatic "Lady of the Lake" introduces the suite, borne aloft by an ethereal waltz that gives way to earnest solos by pianist Jonah Pierre and bassist Thomas Milovac. "Galahad," a martial theme with horns, introduces Shorstein's sister, Rebecca, whose brief vocal leads to solos by guitarist Jarrett Carter and (muted) trumpeter Steve Strawley. Arthur's sword, "Excalibur," is shrouded in mystery, as befits its heritage, with Pierre leading the way, while the "Knights of the Round Table" are gregarious, singing in unison to complement spirited solos by Carter, Strawley, Pierre, Milovac and tenor Juan Rollan.

"Camelot" is next, its buoyant melody (with Rebecca Shorstein singing again) bearing no resemblance to the classic theme written for Broadway by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Rollan takes another solo, as does Pierre, before everyone begins a syncopated quest for "The Holy Grail" (led again by Pierre) and the mysterious "Merlin" weaves his magic in an even-tempered manner (as Pierre sets the tone). That leaves the three principals, "Arthur," "Guinevere" and "Lancelot," each of whom is represented by a suitably appropriate melody.

"Arthur," as portrayed here, is a dyed-in-the-wool swinger, while "Guinevere" is smooth and soft-spoken (as is Strawley's muted solo and Pierre's delicate piano), "Lancelot" steady and heroic (as Carter, Pierre and trombonist Lance Reed carry his banner). At its heart, Knights of the Round Table is thematic, which is always a tricky proposition. Simply ignore that and you have a splendid album of contemporary jazz, perceptively interpreted and handsomely performed by Madre Vaca.