Yakuza Zhuffle

Trumpeter Tranberg is heavily influenced by Miles Davis' late-'60s music. Tranberg's playing adopts Davis' melancholic, vibrato-less lyricism, his tunes resembling the floating modalisms and harmonic misdirection of Davis sideman/composer Wayne Shorter. His choice of sidemen is also Davis-like, especially when it comes to drummer Anders Mogensen, whose constantly shifting metrical subdivisions sound for all the world like Tony Williams. Yet despite the lack of mystery concerning Tranberg's inspiration, the music succeeds — almost with flying colors — thanks to the conviction with which these musicians have learned and absorbed their lessons. Tranberg's a sensitive interpreter of melody; his chops aren't flashy, but he's tasteful and expressive and that counts for a lot. While the general feel of his compositions invokes a comparison to the likes of Shorter, his lines are fresh enough to stand up quite well on their own. Mogensen is an exciting drummer and his rhythm-mates do fine; bassist Nils Davidsen has a wiry sound and lithe technique that serve him well, and pianist Hiroshi Minami contributes interesting colors and textures. Tenor saxophonist Jakob Dinesen is a solid player — at his best he combines elements of Shorter and Coltrane at their most melodic. The music as a whole is played with intelligence and not a little soul. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it's worthwhile nevertheless.