I've been spending the afternoon listening to the new disc from composer / multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kwassman as sort of a last minute preparation for his upcoming show, June 12, at Dizzy's which starts at 7:30 pm.

Kwassman, who is a new name to me, is from NYC, and he's bringing essentially the same band as is featured on his new record, including former San Diegan Jeff Miles on guitar, Arielle Feinman on vocals, Angelo Di Loreto on piano, Craig Akin on bass, and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums. The leader plays alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute and melodica.

The new release is called Songs of the Brother Spirit and it's a perfect example of very modern, super-melodic jazz. Even though the group is fairly small, there is an orchestral dimension to most of the music, and an attention to detail missing from a lot of the new jazz I hear. Kwassman's compositions are episodic and ambitious, and this is as far from a "blowing-session" as one could get.

With Feinman's wordless vocals weaving in and out of the melodic landscape, Kwassman allows maximum opportunities for his associates to shine, making you anticipate his own solos even more.

This is a great band and anyone interested in the potential for new directions in the music should check this out. I heard some parallels to both the Pat Metheny Group and Eberhard Weber's work on the ECM label, if you're interested in a stylistic benchmark.

Dizzy's is located at 4275 Mission Bay Blvd.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/11/47251/