Search - James Emery :: Spectral Domain

With a few well-considered, apt cover tunes and seven originals, guitarist James Emery makes his differing jazz allegiances into artistically fine siblings on Spectral Domains. His cohorts from 1997's Standing on a Whale Fishing for Minnows are all back, but in addition to that trio (drummer Gerry Hemingway, bassist Michael Formanek, and saxophonist Marty Ehrlich) Emery has added a few more guiding lights. Human Feel's Chris Speed is on board on tenor sax and clarinet, Mark Feldman on violin, and Kevin Norton on marimba and percussion. The additional instruments flesh out Emery's chamberesque elements, honed over more than two decades with the String Trio of New York. And they add depth to the guitarist's elaborately orchestrated charts, especially on the two-part "Red Spaces in a Blue Field." But the group shines particularly well on the cover tunes: Mingus's "Far Wells, Mill Valley," Monk's "Trinkle Trinkle," and Ornette Coleman's doleful "Kathelin Gray." Emery loves to play in the fields where Swing Era guitar, chamber music architecture, and occasional avant-garde juts easily commingle. And here they get downright playful with each other. --Andrew Bartlett