East by Midwest

By listening to guitarist Charlie Ballantine, I would say that stylistically he is leaning further to the Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Pat Metheny side of jazz guitar than Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery. I offer these names as only an explanation of my perceived interpretation of Ballantine's musical direction. Bassist Quinn Sternberg and drummer Dan Weiss support Ballantine's direction perfectly. Mixing some of his originals with Monk and Ornette tunes, a few Beatles tunes ("Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Tomorrow Never Knows") and an Elliot Smith tune "Alameda," tells us even more about Ballantine. His sound is as slightly (and wonderfully) distorted as his direction, and Dan Weiss is right there with him throughout. Weiss' mallet playing on "Tomorrow Never Knows" sets the perfect mood for a super creative version of this classic. But this is a record about the guitarist, his music, and his direction. Weiss and Sternberg set him up for success and don't get in the way, in the best way possible. This support shines the strongest on Ballantine's own "Modern Bohemian" which also features a fantastic solo from Weiss.