Swing State

Album Review

This guitar-vibes-bass-drums quartet initially reminds one of the Red Norvo-Tal Farlow-Charles Mingus vibes-guitar-bass trio of 1950. However Peter Curtis' group is more modern than that and not derivative of any past models. Curtis sometimes sounds a bit like Django Reinhardt while, for contrast, he occasionally adopts a rockish style, as on a humorous rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Four in One." Vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu is closer to Bobby Hutcherson than to Norvo while bassist Jiro Platscow and drummer Richard Weller are swinging and supportive of the lead voices. The fluency, constant creativity, and versatility of Curtis and Tarmu are quite impressive as is the range of compositions, which includes a jam on "What Is This Thing Called Love" ("The Thing"), a tango, an introspective ballad reading by Curtis on "My Foolish Heart," and some eccentric bebop. While the music is often boppish, it is full of surprises and unexpected left turns. Highly recommended.