Kurt Rosenwinkel

Star of JupiterWommusic *****

The stakes are always high when guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel puts out a new album, given the quality and originality of his output over the past decade. He does the very opposite of disappoint on this powerfully melodic, deeply grooving double CD. The superb quartet includes fellow prodigy Aaron Parks on keyboards, the agile Eric Revis on bass, and drum wunderkind Justin Faulkner, poached from the Branford Marsalis group. The compositions range from hard swinging jazz to mesmeric groovers to ruminative ballads, and the band positively burns through them. In the end, it's all about Rosenwinkel's endlessly inventive, utterly wonderful soloing. A double album sounds like hubris with some artists, but with Rosenwinkel it's the more the merrier. Just let the boy play. kurtrosenwinkel.com