Graphic

Graphic is more compositionally varied and a good deal more laid back than Rest Stop, Bill McHenry's previous effort. Again, guitarist Ben Monder shares the front-line with the leader while bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Gerald Cleaver undergird the sonorous tenor/guitar blend with solid rhythmic interplay. "Blocks and Dots" and "C Major Tune" are the album's most aggressive tracks. On the former, McHenry wails like a free jazzer but leaves plenty of space. On the latter, Cleaver provides a subtle, bouncy African flavor that pushes Monder and McHenry in unexpected directions during their respective solos. The other five tracks are far more placid, beginning with "Not What It Seems," a slowly evolving, dissonant yet pretty opener. "Art/Omi" and "Casi te Amo" feature finely crafted melodies that recall the pop-like balladry of Keith Jarrett. "Old Tune" begins with McHenry stating the melody; Monder begins to flit around the theme with flurries of notes while the rhythm section slowly but surely eases into a defined groove. McHenry's tenor playing here is particularly subdued and tasteful. The meditative "Eleven Eleven" closes the record; Monder and McHenry solo simultaneously, bouncing ideas off one another as a slow swing tempo develops underneath. More so than on his previous release, McHenry synthesizes the different aspects of his musical personality with profundity and grace. ~ David R. Adler