These are all original modern, mainstream jazz tunes by vibe player Thomas. They show highly imaginative quality and play on the lyrical extension of the vibes and make use of that Latin lyricism in the piano of Jovino Santos Neto. The tunes are executed clearly and cleanly with arrangements that carry the lyricism like "Melicatu," an upbeat swing mood using hesitating Latin rhythms, percussive pushes, tight heads and good attention to the sound. Bassist Derek Layes solos and moves the swirls of "Once Sprung" with the bluesy single note piano swirls of Neto. A harder modern sound can be found on "Two Sighs, a Reply" where the bass and percussion of Jose Martinez drive the vibes and piano work in full sounding modern drive. I particularly like the exploration in the bold, angular "The Big Orange Concrete Snow Disk" moving from Paul Bley-like piano to hard swing of the vibes to full dynamic chord piano work. An impressive body of original music that touches a lot of styles, mixing, blending all with a lyrical emphasis.

Reviewed by: Chris Lunn
Victory Music Review
Volume 24 Number 5
May 1999