Violinist Charlie Bisharat made his earliest splashes as new age accompanist extraordinaire for Yanni, John Tesh and Shadowfax (with whom he won a Grammy), but for his sweeping solo debut he cheerfully abandons the mellow safety net. Though it's not realy a Brazilian venture, Bisharat draws on the Shadowfax world beat sound much of the time, stirring up polyrhythmic textures with spirited melodies and a few acoustic and fusiony surprises to keep the enchantment flowing. Stylistically, Bisharat's bow alternates between a caressing, Doug Cameron like romanticism and the sharper percussive edges of a Jean Luc Ponty, yet it's clear his venture to the forefront has him forging a unique sound. Helping him immensely is his diverse way with a tune, from the hooky pop of Brushfire to more experimental ideas like MM's and Andy Gump. Many all star projects seem contrived but Bisharat's complementary ensemble of Strunz Farah, ex bandmate Chuck Greenberg, Don Grusin, Russell Ferrante, John Patitucci and Eric Marienthal is nothing short of brilliant, a true supporting cast which never takes away from the glorious fiddling going on. ~ Jonathan Widran, Rovi

1		Elysian Fields
2		Brushfire
3		Madison Avenue
4		Ladera Heights
5		Flip a Coin
6		We Used to Play in These Hills
7		M&M's
8		Andy Gump
9		Seance
10		Black Diamond Run
11		Along the Amazon

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