Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2020

Personnel - Rez Abbasi: fretted and fretless acoustic guitars; Neil Alexander: organ, synthesizers, electronics; Michael Sarin: drums.

Adroit guitarist Rez Abbasi had the courage to revivify a few tunes by the iconic swing guitarist Django Reinhardt, an early source of inspiration. He rebuilds these old songs with a perfect contemporary twist, plunging them into fresh, gripping, state-of-the-art environments. Harmonically supported by keyboardist Neil Alexander and having the sensitive drummer Michael Sarin holding down the foundation, Abbasi makes room for both sly rhythmic interplay and fierce improvisation.

Rounding out a program that includes seven Django originals, we have readings of Kurt Weill’s “September Song”, a drum-less experience where the fretless guitar sounds allude to a sitar, and Ion Ivanovich’s “Anniversary Song”, here infused with an odd-metered funk-bossa groove and spanking maneuvers in the rhythmic department. Both these tunes were part of Django’s repertoire.

The album gets off to a gripping start with the busy activity of “Diminishing”, a funk-fueled mesh of acoustic guitar and synth sounds where swing jazz meets psychedelic rock with a 6/8 feel. Abbasi and Alexander alternate bars, exchanging winding, knotty phrases, and, near the finale, is Sarin who unfurls percussive practices in a vamp-for-drums section. The magnetism of the main melody is impressive, totally unaffected by the trio’s ambiguous direction.

Guitarist and keyboardist also trade creative ideas on “Hungaria”, a quite danceable number with a lively spark and a familiar melody. Modernity and tradition go hand in hand, and joyful moments of thudding drum kicks interspersed with cymbal vitality takes us to the end.

“Swing 42” is turned into an engulfing fusion odyssey that serves as a vehicle for Abbasi’s ruminative guitaristic pleasures in the first instance, and then falls into a stirred-crazy rock after Alexander takes the lead. Not averse to dissonance, the latter’s asymmetric lines and jabbed clusters also create an impact on “Heavy Artillery”, a piece where a beautiful, Soundgarden-like acoustic guitar intro contrasts with a playful gypsy jazz theme delivered with hints of Monk.

Glitteringly brushed by Sarin, the atmospheric ballad “Django’s Castle” is cultivated with emotionally charged solos shaped in accordance to its laid-back ambience.

Displaying his extraordinary musicianship and specialized arranging skills, Abbasi oozes authenticity from every phrase he utters. This is a sensational tribute to Django’s compositional character and influential music.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Diminishing ► 03 - Heavy Artillery ► 08 - Hungaria