Silent Photographer

John Stowell is a busy guitarist. This is his second of three releases in several months, here with the Scenes trio that includes Jeff Johnson on basses and John Bishop on drums. The trio has been playing together for a decade, and the connection between the musicians is enviable. They seem to have a musical ESP that makes what could be a fairly standard trio disc into a feat of amazing connectivity. Even though the liner notes say that the recording session was "freewheeling," it's obvious that there is an understanding between the musicians that made exacting rehearsals unnecessary. The tunes range from medium hard bop, like Wayne Shorter's "Black Eyes," to Stowell's airy title track, to Johnson's light-bopping "Contours." Stowell's warm guitar draws the listener in, and Johnson and Bishop's tight playing keeps things moving. It's a trio worth exploring as they expand their sound.