Shot Through With Beauty

As the title suggests, East Bay saxophone master Mike Zilber and redoubtable Portland, Ore. guitarist John Stowell share an unabashed love of sumptuous melodies. Accompanied by the invaluable rhythm section tandem of bassist John Shifflett and drummer Jason Lewis, they investigate tunes like Kenny Wheeler's "Kayak" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" and finely wrought originals (Zilber's deceptively pacific 10-minute title track is the album's thematic centerpiece).