Joey Baron/Arthur Blythe/Ron Carter/Bill Frisell: We'll Soon Find Out (Intuition 3515-2).

Joey Baron/Arthur Blythe/Ron Carter/Bill Frisell: We'll Soon Find Out (Intuition 3515-2)

The previous outing for this all-star aggregation, Down Home, was a lot of fun, but not quite convincing, as the "down-hominess" seemed a little forced, sort of the jazz equivalent of one of the old early-'70s "concept" albums that rock bands felt for some reason obligated to put out from time to time. This one sounds much more natural, and by the second cut, "Closer Than You Think," where even Ron Carter gets to stretch out and take a bit of the spotlight (he had been pretty well relegated to a supporting role on Down Home), you know these guys are cooking together and are going to be laying down some really great grooves. All the cuts are by Frisell, but seem to be written with his bandmates in mind. "Junior," for instance, sounds as though it would fit right into an Arthur Blythe album. Everybody gets a chance to shine, but always within the context of pulling together: these guys sound like a real band, not just four studio guys knocking out another CD. Good, good stuff, one of the best jazz CDs to come along for quite a while. - KWN