Provinciano

Argentinean electric bassist/composer Fernando Huergo finds his own way of bringing the music of his homeland into the jazz idiom. Tango, milonga, zamba, and especially chacarera, all come into play on Provinciano. Huergo’s band — saxophonist Andrew Rathbun, pianist Mika Pohjola, flutist Yulia Musayelyan, and drummer Franco Pinna — can bring a feather-light airiness or a muscular heft to the album’s 13 tracks. (One of the album’s delights is the presence of Huergo’s post-Jaco Pastorius approach in an otherwise all-acoustic setting.) The opening title track, based on the Argentinean malambo, displays the band’s high-energy side and Huergo’s finger pops. On “La Luz del Norte,” melodic flute and husky tenor sax are nicely complemented by the inventive rhythm section. Most of the material is original but Provinciano also includes covers of two masters, John Coltrane and tango legend Carlos Gardel. Coltrane’s “Lonnie’s Lament” features a nice solo by Rathbun, while Gardel’s “El Día que me Quieras” gets an unusual reading: a solo bass version inspired by Piazzola’s take on the tune.