Rick Stone: Samba de Novembro

Guitarist Rick Stone strums into Samba de Novembro 's opener, the title tune, with a clear, crisp, precise sound, joined twenty seconds later by Tardo Hamer's succinct and delicate piano notes—like raindrops into a pond. Up-tempo, fluid, an enticing South American mood. The guitar and piano—tangy versus sweet—bounce off each other nicely; and Matt Wilson, who seems to be sitting in the drummer's seat on everyone's sets these days, weaves subtle and sinuous textures behind it all. An auspicious opening for a straight through marvelous disc.

Rodgers and Hart's "My Romance" has Stone going trio, showcasing his deft hand at playing a classic, faithfully, with an easy swing to the sound. "Rainforest," another Stone original, slows the pace; and the guitarist brings the legendary Wes Montgomery to mind here, as Matt Wilson wields his cymbal splashes behind the guitarist's clean lines.

And so it goes, solo, duo, trio and quartet modes alternating, with five originals and a some nicely chosen classics—Thelonious Monk's "Played Twice" and Bill Evans' "Song for Helen" stand out for this ear. Stone's ringing sound and sharp notes fit right into Monk's oddly beautiful logic on the former; and on the latter—a solo effort—Stone gets inside the melody with a wistful affection.

On "West Side Waltz," penned by the set's bassist, Yosuke Inoue, listen to the buoyant lift the bass and drums give to the wandering melody.

A first rate jazz guitar effort.