Probably a bit more straightforward than what you'd expect from Jason Robinson's Circumvention Music imprint, David Borgo's Massanetta Springs splashes all over the jazz spectrum, from swing to free. It is a disconcerting album; jazz buffs who value tone over creativity will be delighted by "Only in My Dreams" and the rendition of Mingus' "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," but will feel lost amidst the fierce free soloing in "Pomodori," while avant-garde fans won't find enough edge here to balance out the mellower cocktail numbers. Borgo has a lovely warm tone on tenor sax and a gracious one on soprano. His phrasing is elegant, a bit too polite. For Massanetta Springs, he called in a number of musicians and used them in changing settings, ranging from a trio with bassist Pete Spar and drummer Mark Ferber in "In This Life Till Now" to a full-fledged sextet (Spar, Ferber, trombonist twin Alan Ferber, guitarist Sam Wilson, and John d'Earth on flügelhorn) for the Mingus cover, "No Place Like Home," and "Heron Pool." The latter, penned by Wilson, provides a highlight thanks to strong soloing and clever chord changes. Dave Holland's "Conference of the Birds" -- the only other cover on the album -- gives way to some frantic conversations between Borgo and Ferber. Alto saxman David Pope guests in his own composition "Pomodori," together with Borgo's "Oddity" a riskier piece in the set. But the structure of "Pomodori" convinces, while the latter tune simply sounds self-indulgent. So Borgo's second album as a leader is a mixed bag of proficient playing and ordinary writing.
© François Couture /TiVo