Guitarist Chris Vasi's new quartet recording Vesuvius features saxophonist Roberto Curtis, drummer/percussionist Drex Weaver, and bassist Carter Blough, and includes tunes by Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Bobby Timmons, as well as Cuban and Cape Verdean songs, and a few original compositions.
Vasi plays the electric throughout most of the record, but also utilizes the archtop, nylon-string, charanga (a 10-string Bolivian instrument) and bottleneck slide, and for one of the bonus tracks, does a 2-mandolin self-duet on the Beatles' “Because".
“One of the best world-jazz recordings of the year: Latin, West African, funk, and bop elements in a tasty blend. Recommended if you like John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Hotel X." --Bill Lupoletti, WRIR-FM Richmond (Host of Global A Go Go)
