Makoto Ozone and the Trio is joined by the award-winning saxophonist
Branford Marsalis on
Pandora. His trio --
Clarence Penn on drums and
James Genus on bass who has replaced
Kiyoshi Kitagawa -- plays 11 original compositions written by either
Ozone or
Penn. Of particular interest is
Ozone's performance on "Pennillium," which displays his strong musical personality with excellent piano artistry: arpeggios, authentic cadences, and chord stylings. While
Penn's expertise and sensitive brushwork highlights the harmony of "Sofi,"
Genus still has some work to do as far as applying his bass colors to
Ozone's piano stylings with the right contrast. However, this can certainly be attributed to his newness with the group. Overall,
Pandora is very good due to
Marsalis' excellence on "Reunion" and the title track, as well as the songwriting skills of both
Penn and
Ozone. ~ Paula Edelstein