Filtros

The Argentinean pianist/composer Guillermo Klein has led large jazz bands dating back to the 1990s. On 2008’s Filtros, he heads up an 11-man version of his group, Los Guachos, and the result is stunning. He incorporates a lot of elements into his music: jazz, modern composition, Argentinean folk, and the superb instrumental abilities of his band members, including the saxophonists Miguel Zeñon, Bill McHenry, and Chris Cheek. Filtros opens strongly with “Va Roman,” an expansive song that finds Klein on lead vocals. The track has its own distinct sound, but it also brings to mind the work of the sui generis British musician, Robert Wyatt. On “Miula” and “Luz de Liz (Filtros),” Klein uses an intriguing compositional device that gives the impression that the music is slowing down or speeding up as the beat stays the same. Klein’s choices of “covers” are more than a little interesting. He incorporates parts of Gyorgy Ligeti’s Hungarian Rock and an Argentinean folk song into “Vaca,” and the album closes with a version of Louange Á L’Éternité De Jesus, by the formidable French composer Oliver Messiaen.