On his new self titled CD. he is playing with Scott Colley on bass, Marivaldo Dos Santos on percussion and David Binney on sax and flute. There is a relax mood all through this album, starting with the first tune "Make it Nice," a slow bossa with nice melodies and chord harmonies. Marivaldo percussion is subtle and perfect for this piece.
"Jake's Dilemma" has more of a samba feel. The light touch of John Pondel on guitar is a contrast to Scott powerful bass solo. The tune ends with a good exchange on bass and guitar before going back to the main theme. "Mr. Obvious" has a jazzy groove, but still with a Brazilian feel to it. The tune ends with excellent harmonized melodies on guitar and sax.
"HP" is a beautiful ballad with dreamy melodies on guitar, but the star on this one is Scott Colley with a deep, heartfelt bass solo. On "Waving not Drowning," the band return bossa groove of the first track. "Where the River Ends" is a relaxing tune with cool percussion work by Marivaldo Dos Santos. "The Jody Grind" is one of my favorites on this album, originally recorded in by Horace Silver. John Pondel version is almost as good as the original. Closing the album with energy, "In Ed Snipe Scott Colley" has the opportunity to shine again with his brilliant bass playing.
