You Remind Me of Someone

Guitarist Pete McCann is sometimes compared to both John Scofield and Pat Metheny, and you'll hear more than a shade of the latter in his buttery tone and lush use of reverb on several of this album's tracks. But on McCann's sophomore effort there's also quite a bit of Bill Frisell in his approach to melody — listen to the slow-footed "Knew Blues" and the ringing open chords and skewed phrasing on "You Remind Me of Someone." On "Ornery," a brilliant tribute to free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, McCann pays homage not just to Coleman's notorious disregard for the chord progression during solos, but also to the man's amazing ability to write delightful, sometimes downright hooky melodies. McCann also chooses his few covers well, delivering a thoughtful rendition of Cole Porter's "I Love You" and a slightly Latin-tinged interpretation of the Steve Swallow composition "Falling Grace." He's accompanied energetically but sensitively throughout by bassist John Hebert and drummer Mike Sarin. Highly recommended.