Michael Musillami Octet: Spirits

Not that it always seems out of place. On the opening track, "Squid Fantasy," the group ultimately finds its way into a section where just about everyone is soloing, freely and with some abandon, over bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Michael Sarin's insistent rhythm. But the longest piece of the set, "Spirits Rebellious," starts with a free movement that seems completely irrelevant when the group kicks in with a more contemporary groove. And the piece is broken up in the middle when, out of nowhere, the group halts and there is a free exchange that starts with a heavily distorted guitar and Art Baron's didgeridoo, the rest of the group gradually re-entering to build the intensity before settling back into a more accessible groove for the balance of the piece. Sure, this is clearly a musical articulation of the spirits rebelling with each other, but it's, frankly, too obvious and, in context with the relatively breezy ambience of the rest of the album, something that disperses the recording's focus rather than concentrating it.

That being said, the rest of the album is an interesting revelation, as musicians like pianist Peter Madsen, more often seen in a looser exploratory context, fit comfortably into this more straightforward setting. Woodwind player Tom Christensen, another player more known for his work in the creative music scene, solos lyrically and with complete authenticity. In fact, everyone sounds completely at ease with this more groove-oriented, theme-based music. And most notable is Musillami's ability to fit Chapin's music within this context. Kudos to Musillami, who arranged all the material with the exception of one track each by Baron and Christensen; clearly he sees something in the material that others have not.

Musillami is a fine guitarist, clearly coming from the tradition of players including Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall. With the exception of the out-of-place fuzz guitar on "Spirits Rebellious," he plays with a warm, dry tone and a style that manages to incorporate its influences without being derivative. Occasional misstep aside, Spirits is a surprisingly engaging album of Latin jazz from a group of musicians whose names on the cover would lead one to think what would be contained within would be anything but easy-going and accessible.

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