The first Astral Project album gives one a taste of what the band is capable of live -- in this case, at New Orleans' Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro and at the 1990 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Originals are sprinkled among the songs of Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, and Carla Bley, while the band draws inspiration from sources as varied as Miles Davis, Native American folk music, and New Orleans funk. The group identifies itself through the unique drumming of John Vidacovich, who swings, rants, and jump-starts the band in his own inimitable way. The album opener, Bongo Joe, written by bassist James Singleton, is a perfect example, as Vidacovich changes from shuffle to disco to reggae beats without batting an eyelash. They band can out-and-out bop, as on Supersonic Hawk (a tribute to Coleman Hawkins), or can cool things down, as on Bley's evocative Útviklingssang. Pianist David Torkanowsky can be truly amazing, whether soloing, as on Hawk, or ripping it up with angular aplomb during Monk's spirited I Mean You. Steve Masakowski's electric guitar sound sets a tone, cool and reserved but ready to lash out at any moment. His lone composition, Strut, conveys that aesthetic perfectly. Tony Dagradi's tenor sax takes Duke Ellington's A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing to its emotion-drenched zenith. Whether at its most vicious (Dagradi's Indian Folk Song), most funkily soulful (the showstopper Sidewalk Strut), or hardest (a Bitches Brew-derived Miles), the band always hits on all cylinders. Recommended especially for modern-jazz lovers seeking something fresh, new, and alive. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

1		Bongo Joe
2		Oneness
3		Sidewalk Strut
4		Instant Composition
5		Supersonic Hawk
6		A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
7		Miles
8		I Mean You
9		Indian Folk Song
10		Útviklingssang (Viking Song)

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