Ted Piltzecker: Peace Vibes

With the world desperately in need of more Peace Vibes in these times of seemingly endless strife and division, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker is happy to oblige, putting his Colorado-based "quartet" to work on the problem via a series of bright and handsome themes whose gracefulness and charm are designed to calm even the most savage beast.

The word quartet is placed between quotation marks because Piltzecker leads a quintet on at least two tracks and perhaps others; the exact number is not quite clear. What is known is that a percussionist, either Brazilian Vinicius Barros or Peruvian Hugo Alcazar, each performs on at least one selection and possibly more, a detail that is further clouded by the fact that Piltzecker is also listed as a percussionist.

Be that as it may, the core group is superb—with or without percussion—as trumpeter par excellence Brad Goode strengthens the front line while bassist Gonzalo Teppa and drummer Paul Romaine keep seamless and metronomic time. Goode is marvelous throughout, open or muted, and especially on his showcase number, "I Remember Clifford," Benny Golson's soulful homage to the late great trumpeter Clifford Brown. Piltzecker is not far behind, delivering some sharp and engaging solos, as does Teppa.

Alcazar is the percussionist on the first of Piltzecker's two original compositions, the easygoing "Lando Bear," based on the Brazilian dance of that name, while Barros lends his talents to Piltzecker's samba version of Toots Thielemans' lovely waltz, "Bluesette," which Piltzecker surely played more than once in its original form during his years touring with the George Shearing Quintet. Piltzecker's second composition, "5/4 Decision"—the one faintly discordant item on the menu—echoes the chaos so often created by today's U.S. Supreme Court. It may have been more accurately named "6/3 Decision."

Aside from "Bluesette" and "I Remember Clifford," the ensemble dissects half a dozen jazz evergreens including Golson's "Whisper Not," Duke Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" (on which Piltzecker plays marimba), Miles Davis' "Nardis," Lawrence Wright's "Delilah," Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" and Horace Silver's "Peace" before closing with the session's lone standard, Burton Lane and Yip Harburg's enchanting "Old Devil Moon," on which Piltzecker and Goode deliver crackling solos.

Peace Vibes, yes, and also delightful in every way. Piltzecker has chosen his supporting cast and playlist with care, and his precision pays off big with an album that is luminous and seductive from start to finish.

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