Basement Blues

I remember JOHN STOWELL [g] from the mid '70s when he made a series of rather ethereal recordings. Over the years he seems to have tempered that sound. His latest pairs him up once more with his long time associate, MICHAEL ZILBER [sax/p]. BASEMENT BLUES [Origin 82717] is with the quartet [John Shifflett­b, Jason Lewis­ drm] recorded 3/12 and 3/15. The program here is made up of 8 originals plus one Jerome Kern [Nobody Else But Me] and one Bill Evans tune [Very Early]. The music retains some of that reflective/ethereal wandering sound but it is nicely set off by Zilber's playing which at times is rather amusing. Here the wandering leads to directions, thoughts and musical introspections that can be captivating. In addition there are some compositions by Zilber which are quite nice. Listening rewards grow with each replay.