Search - Ximo Tebar :: Eclipse

Spanish guitarist Ximo Tebar is clearly so enthralled with all forms of American jazz, he attacks it--excuse the mixed ethnic metaphor--like a hungry man at a smorgasbord. Though he tilts mainly toward bop and postbop in choosing his source material--there are pieces by Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter and an original tribute to Pat Martino--he's a dyed-in-the-wool fusion player who incorporates flamenco and Brazilian forms, adding electronics and scat vocals. There are times when his affection for pretty, synthesizer-enhanced melodies smacks of smooth jazz, but with vibraphonist Dave Samuels cutting some hard-swinging grooves and organist Rob Bargad pumping up the atmosphere, there's too much energy in the musicianship for it to linger too long in any soft spots. Tebar's guitar can take on an unusual toy-like tone, which makes his demonstrative dissection of Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" all the more interesting. --Lloyd Sachs