Blessed

**** (4-stars)

Scott Neumann's sophomore solo release is not a blowing but a simmering session. His exceptional trio, with saxophonist Michael Blake and bassist Mark Helias, creates a furnace of ideas where creativity is inspired, swing incessant, and the performances exhilarating. The trio revels in a simpatico exchange. Precise movements and improvisations erupt from a collective identity where listening may be the greatest skill of all. Neumann, who has recorded more than 50 CD's as a sideman and has extensive Broadway and academic credits, performs with detailed abandon on Blessed, his transparent, explosive drumming and rich tone inspiring a true group effort.