Esse

Finally, how about some excellent local jazz from drummer Gustavo Cortiñas and his group Snapshot, who have just released the disc Esse, a tribute to Philosophy and the philosophers who have philosophized. This is a really wonderful disc, filled with some young heavy hitters from Chicago's jazz scene, namely Roy McGrath (tenor sax), Justin Copeland (trumpet), Adam Thornburg (trombone), Hans Luchs (guitar), Joaquin Garcia (piano) and Kitt Lyles (bass). Together, they make some magic on these heady compositions. "Dialetics of Freedom" is an epic, clocking in at just under 13 exciting minutes, while "Arete" has a Latin groove and a neat melody that involves all three horns on the front line with Copeland leading the charge, and "Ubermensch" sounds more than just a little like the three horn version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. ...which is a great, great thing.