Quartet Plus, Volume 2

Guitarist and composer Mason Razavi has put together a very interesting program on his latest album. The first five tracks are straight-ahead quartet recordings (with the exception of the fusion-inflected "With the Wind at My Back"), while the second half of the album consists of pieces arranged for a nonet that sounds like a big band. I assume that the horn charts were arranged by Razavi as well as based on his melody lines, and they're outstanding. His music is witty but also deeply emotional, and his rollicking, barnstorming take on the Duke Ellington standard "Caravan" ends things on a gloriously riotous note. Highly recommended.