On this inspired outing, his seventh as a leader, the outstanding guitarist showcases his remarkable facility, warm-toned improvisational flow and rich chordal vocabulary alongside the respected jazz veterans Randy Brecker on trumpet, Ed Howard on bass and Victor Lewis on drums. Chris McNulty contributes ethereal wordless vocals on the gentle samba flavored "Alter Ego" by the late, great pianist-composer James Williams and also on Bollenback's dramatic two-part "Invocation" suite. Other originals like the buoyant, rhythmically-charged opener "Dancing Leaf" and the driving 6/8 vehicle "Songline" further distinguish Bollenback as an accomplished composer as well as a world-class player. Elsewhere, he stretches out in a highly interactive trio setting with Howard and Lewis on three numbers -- an open-ended, swinging extrapolation on the Irving Berlin standard "How Deep Is The Ocean," a relaxed, introspective take on the evocative ballad "Everything Must Change" and an expansive interpretation of Johnny Mandel's melodic gem "Emily," which is underscored by Lewis's sensitive and deft touch with brushes. But perhaps the most inspired offering on Invocation is the tour de force closer, a stirring rendition of John Coltrane's profoundly moving hymn "After The Rain," which features some particularly heartfelt trumpet playing by Brecker. One of the most reliably swinging, pyrotechnic players on the jazz scene over the past twenty years, Bollenback has put his distinctive six-string stamp on a wide variety of tunes from the realms of pop, r&b, classical and jazz. On his previous outing, 2006's Brightness of Being, he ambitiously covered material from Puccini's Tosca alongside the Ray Charles hits "Unchain My Heart" and "You Don't Know Me," Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry About A Thing," Neil Young's "Philadelphia" and classical guitarist Ernesto Garcia de Leon's "El Desierto". His debut as a leader, 1995's Original Visions, included the exotic "India Gate (For John)," his personal homage to guitar pioneer John McLaughlin, while on the eclectic 1997 offering Double Gemini he covered tunes by the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, Hootie & The Blowfish, Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. On 1999's Soul Grooves he turned his attention to R&B classics with adventurous, reharmonized arrangments of Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay," The Supremes hit "AinÕt No Mountain High Enough," The Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and "My Girl" and Stevie Wonder's "Too High" and "Visions."
--Bill Milkowski
Bill Milkowski is a regular contributor of Jazz Times and Jazziz magazines. He is also the author of “JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius” (Backbeat Books).