Xavi Reija is a Spanish drummer that was also present on the Dusan Jevtovic album presented here not so long ago. And wait, bass player Bernat Hernandez was also on that disk. So the same team is the same music? Well, no actually. Maybe because here Xavi himself wrote most of the songs, and on some occasion got help from his partners in crime. And again a release on the Moonjune Records label, who prove themselves very busy!
But for me, the main reason this being a whole other animal, is that this album focuses mainly on drums and groove. And I must say, drums and bass sound terrific here. Very natural but also very big with Jevtovic´s guitar playing providing additional colours. But that also leads to my main concern with the album. It is certainly rich in ideas, but needs a lot of time invested from the listener. Or you must be big about drums and groove and do not need identifiable structures and melodies to enjoy your daily dose of jazz. That is not to say those are not present. They are just not all too obvious (which is of course coming standard in any jazz environment).
So if you are willing to invest the time, or enjoy fabulous players and a big drum and bass sound, check this out.
