Time Never Pauses

Chicago-based guitarist Hans Luchs draws more from the recent than far past. More John Abercrombie and John Scofield than Wes Montgomery or Grant Green. His debut recording Time Never Pauses is a collection of eight original compositions and two transformed standards reveals the continued refining of modern jazz composition well past the head-solo section-head style of hard bop and the liquid freedom of post bop into pure composition.

"Der Lumenmeister," the album opener is labyrinthian in both structure, time, and melody. The piece is populated with ensemble playing bringing together Stuart Mindeman's percussive piano and Shaun Johnson's feather-touch trumpet. Standout on the recording is drummer George Fludas' precise pulse keeping. Luchs' guitar playing is introspective and wordy, probing the angular sides of his complex composition, making the end-product performance sound both natural and easy.