Tim Rachbach: Under One Moon

"Ancient Thread" forcefully opens 23 year-old drummer Tim Rachbach's solid debut, Under The Moon, and it's a fitting title, indeed. Throughout this and six other Rachbach compositions, ("Toy Tune" belongs to none other than saxophonist Wayne Shorter) a group of young adventurous players explore their way through the music's many nuanced turns.

Saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo carries the charging lead, arpeggiating freely and high flying until the song literally breaks in half, carried with versatile bop by bassist Rick Rosato and Rachbach's many percussive colors, while rising star trumpeter Adam O'Farrill—son of pianist Arturo O'Farrill and grandson of composer/bandleader Chico O'Farrill—takes over from Del Castillo for a turn on the high wire, bouncing off the rhythm section with sharp, soaring flair.

"The Feels" continues the bright melodic excursion set in motion by the opener, with O'Farrill and Rachbach's furious polyrhythmic flurry sharing the lead. Pianist Manuel Schmiedel, with Bill Evans-like minor-key structures, sets the tone for the harmonically expansive ballad, "Living Noire." "Juno" is a dreamy, low-boiling stew of blues, allowing Del Castillo and O'Farrill to blow freely over Rachbach's rock-steady beat, while "Juno" fades off into the propulsive, bass-driven "Fragile Past," featuring a bold, fluttering tenor sax and feverish, percolating groove from the drummer/composer. A debut with solid promise.