Pastels (1996)

About this title: A good quartet release, featuring Juris on guitar, Phil Markowitz on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. Juris' originals range from the angular free bop of "Mergatroid" to the breezy jazz waltz of "Sim 95," to the dark balladry of "Berlin" and the intriguing 7/4 syncopation of "Bravo Rio" (the latter two performed beautifully on acoustic guitar). Tom Harrell's "Sail Away" and John Coltrane's "26-2" are inspired covers, posing starkly different improvisational challenges and showcasing the band's versatility and depth. Markowitz is characteristically dazzling, his acoustic ... read more

Tracks:

1. Will Call [Anderson]
2. Sweet and Lovely [Arnheim/Tobias/LeMa]
3. Mergatroid [Juris]
4. Berlin [Juris]
5. Sail Away [Harrell]
6. Sim 95 [Juris]
7. 26-2 [Coltrane]
8. Chop-Chop [Markowitz]
9. Bravo Rio [Juris]
10. I'll Close My Eyes [Kaye/Reid]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.