Medicine Man

Expanding from a duo setting to a quintet for his sophomore CD release, Tom Tallitsch offers up pleasant, unassuming original compositions that keep the proceedings casual but agreeably propulsive. With Tony Miceli's brisk vibraphone and Victor Baker's uncluttered guitar supporting his throaty tenor saxophone tone, Tallitsch's band frequently takes on an airy, levitating quality. But there's a surging intensity at work too, as crosshatched layers create a complex, filigreed sound against the leader's undulating solo threads.