Native Son

Drummer Michael Waldrop, who led four previous albums including two at the head of a big band, is featured at the head of a quartet/quintet on Native Son. He contributed all of the originals (co-writing one song) other than Alec Wilder's "The Wrong Blues."

Most notable about this project is that it features consistently brilliant piano playing from Vasil Hadzimanov who is based in Serbia, and that the piano trio with bassist Martin Gjakonovski (also a very skilled soloist) is expanded with the addition of both Brad Dutz and Jose Rossy on percussion. The sounds and rhythms that they come up with on a variety of instruments add to the color and variety of the outing.

The music is modern and sometimes utilizes different time signatures. Among the highpoints are the soulful and melodic "Native Son" (which is in 5/4 time), the mysterious ballad "Pythia: The Speaking Water," a bluesy modal piece ("El Vino"), and "Bitter End" which is a bit eccentric rhythmically and mostly in 7/4 time. Hadzimanov is particularly inventive and expansive on the lyrical "Still Life" but his playing is colorful and creative throughout. The same can be said for the other musicians with leader Waldrop inspiring the players with his subtle but inventive accompaniment.