Alupang Sunset

Pianist Palomo gives his second recording as a leader with many visions of beauty, some in a more commercial vein, others extending the natural folk melodies of his native Guam, but mostly hitting on chamber music, modern jazz, or contemporary stylings and Brazilian pop. He's joined by electric and acoustic bassist Joy Julks, drummer Curt Moore, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, and guests Andy Narell (steel drums), Mary Fettig (saxes/flute), and Joyce Cooling (guitar/vocals). Palomo's light touch, breezy melodies, and undercurrent of rhythm comprise the 12 selections, 11 of which he composed. The kicker "Nights in San Jose" is one of the most lovely pieces of music to date: ascending and descending basslines buoy Palomo's shimmering piano tinkling with lilting, full-bore flute and inquisitive steel drums stating the melody. More minimalistic piano and an Afro-Cuban floor plan inspire Fettig's soprano sax and Palomo's unison piano to dance a rhumba on "Sablan." The most legit hard bop also goes into a salsa samba for "C.P.A." with Fettig's vibrant tenor and a drum workout at the coda for Moore. Also jazzy is "Crystal Sand," with an interesting tenor and steel drum sound joining hands. There are two piano-bass-drums numbers, the easygoing "Rockridge Waltz," and a 5/4 rhythm during "Mi Familiaku Siha (My Extended Family)" that shows an animated, energetic Palomo more than the others. The Brazilian tracks feature Cooling cooing wordlessly on "Buenas" and Antonio Adolfo's "Ve," while back-to-back smoothies "The Kid Within" and "Mission of Mercy" simply hold little interest and are way predictable. This is a six of one/half-dozen of the other recording, doing level best to appease all. Hopefully on Palomo's third date he'll stick to what he does best, and maybe crank it up a notch. The disc is still worth the first two cuts, as well as the drop-dead gorgeous finale track. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi