Zen Food

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks has played with numerous artists over the years, including Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, and Dave Holland, and he’s recorded several albums as a leader since he released his 1982 debut, Guitarist. But most people know him from his lengthy stint as guitarist and musical director on The Tonight Show with host Jay Leno. Eubanks left that post in 2010 and put out Zen Food later that year. Eubanks and his band — drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, saxophonist Bill Pierce, keyboardist Gerry Etkins, and bassist Rene Camacho — make for a tight unit. Eubanks wrote all of the material with the exception of Etkins’ mellow “G.G.” Some cuts lean toward fusion, but unlike the flashy playing that often plagues that genre, a sense of restraint and nuance consistently reigns here. “6/8” has nice guitar comping and some excellent tenor playing from Pierce, while “Offering” finds Etkins taking an exciting piano solo that recalls McCoy Tyner. One of the album’s standouts, “Los Angeles,” features a striking passage that evokes ‘70s prog rock, as well as another one of Eubanks’ excellent solos.