Vishwa Mohan Bhatt With Bela Fleck and Jie Bing Chen: Tabula Rasa (1996)

Bela Fleck has successfully (even prior to this recording) taken the banjo out of its bluegrass/hillbilly context and inserted it where it seemingly should not be welcome: jazz, classical. For this performance he has taken the "twang" out of the sound of the banjo and replaced it with a rich tonal quality that can only be described as the pure, untainted sound of the instrument itself. The Master of the Banjo plays with music masters of the far east and together they have created one of my favorite cd's. Tabula Rasa is stunningly beautiful.

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Tabula Rasa (RS) / Tabula Rasa (DF) @ 320K

Jeff Coffin: Mutopia (2008)

Jeff Coffin's work with Béla Fleck's Flecktones has only been somewhat reflective of his efforts as a leader. The saxophonist/composer is quite able in a more progressive, accessibly contemporary style to express his personalized music, which is in many ways substantive and cleverly rendered. While recent efforts have veered toward a commercialized approach, this CD with his Mu'tet bears distinct elements of the Jazz Crusaders and the first bands of Derek Trucks. No doubt the addition of a stout horn section on a few selections, and collaboration with the keyboardist and flute player Kofi Burbridge — well known for his work with the Trucks band — has a lot to do with how this group reacts and responds. All in all, there's some very hip music here, ranging from the 7/4 funk with dual electric bass guitarists on "Al's Greens" including a banjo solo from boss man Fleck, to "Move Your Rug" with varying beats in six and seven mixing up the complicated and simplistic horns with a New Orleans beat. The outstanding, developed, dramatic, Middle Eastern flavored "L'Esperance" is introduced by Coffin's resplendent, floating mbira, then his tenor sax and flute foreshadowed Burbridge's desert-to-jungle flute solo. "Turiya" is a calm, serene, and beautiful tribute to the late Alice Coltrane with Coffin on soprano sax and Burbridge on acoustic grand piano. The molasses slow "Sweet Magnolias" offers a legitimate blues framework for Coffin's legato tenor, and a bonus track, "Emma Ya," is a soul deep, light reggae tune. Trombonists Barry Green or Roy Agee are added for the funk-with-a twist track "Tag" or the Stax style soul pop cut "One In, One Out" respectively, with Burbridge jammin' on the Hammond B-3 organ. Agee, trumpeter Rod McGaha, and sousaphonist Joe Murphy expand the horizons of "Move Your Rug." Also present is electric bass guitarist Felix Pastorius, one of the twin sons of the legendary Jaco Pastorius, and fellow Flecktone, drummer Roy "Future Man" Wooten. The collective energy, team work, and top-drawer ability of Coffin, not to mention the diversity of the recording, is hard to deny. This might be the best effort yet for the Mu'tet, top to bottom.
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Mutopia - Part 1 - Part 2 (RS) Part 1 - Part 2 (HF) lossless

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones: The Hidden Land (2006)

Banjo player Bela Fleck has a world-class set of chops and a willingness to follow his muse wherever it takes him. The band ranges far and wide once again on the The Hidden Land ­ it opens with a Bach Fugue, delves into swing, has a bit of bluegrass, does progressive rock, and jets to several other locales. But the everything-and-the-kitchen sink concept is still considerable more streamlined than 2003's Little Worlds, an overproduced and under-focused three-CD set. Highlights here include Fleck's pickin' on a progressive country stomp called "Weed Whacker" and the playful "Couch Potato," which has a hyper edge that doesn't match the sedentary implications of the title. The band's telepathic interaction is highlighted on the Middle East-influenced "Chennai," ­where musical lines are played in unison or tossed back and forth, making the song crackle with energy. The broad aesthetic and restless sonic changes might be a bit much for some, but a patient survey of this album will be rewarded. ­--Tad Hendrickson

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The Hidden Land (2006) / The Hidden Land (2006) @ 320K

Bernie Williams: The Journey Within (2003)

Take note! If there's one lively Latin-flavored guitar jazz disc by an all-star center fielder you must listen to this year, make it this one. Don't do it however, just for the novelty of a .300 career-hitting New York Yankee legend making music for a hometown-based label, but because his hobby comes loaded with great melodic ideas and some buoyant, snappy playing. No doubt many critics will see this as a sports celebrity vanity project, and much will be made of all the top musicians who jumped into the fray (Béla Fleck, David Sancious, T-Bone Wolk, Luis Conte), but Williams truly holds his own. The opening track, "La Salsa en Mi," is feisty Latin jamming with an instantly catchy melody, and sets a lofty standard that some of the mellower tracks simply can't match. High-spirited exotic sessions like that and the percussion-intense "Desvelado" run rings around more conventional but still engaging light funk-jazz tracks like "The Way" and the lush ballad "Just Because," whose contribution by labelmate pianist David Benoit is surprisingly subtle. Those who like simple fingerstyling may most enjoy the interlude "Samba Novo," while pop fans may best enjoy the mainstream readings of "Dust in the Wind" and Billy Joel's plaintive "And So It Goes." The best evidence that Williams can funk out as well as he can do salsa (remember, he's a native Puerto Rican) is the turbocharged fusion jam "Stranded on the Bridge." In contemporary jazz circles, Wayman Tisdale has made a successful move from basketball to bass. When Bernie Williams retires, more discs like this will ensure that he's more than a one-shot deal.

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The Journey Within (RS) / The Journey Within (HF) @ 320K