A veteran of many organ/guitar/drum jazz trios, guitarist
Bob DeVos hasn't had a lot of opportunities to record as a leader, but his second Savant CD also allows him to share his abilities as a composer.
DeVos is a bluesy, soul-infused player, well accompanied by organist
Dan Kostelnik and drummer
Steve Johns, and his brisk, rhythmic treatment of
Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Mojave" gives it an entirely new character. The guitarist's lyrical "Shifting Sands" has a meditative gospel quality, while "A Different Dozen" puts a new twist on a regular 12-bar blues in an uptempo setting. Tenor saxophonist
Eric Alexander, like the leader a veteran of the late
Charles Earland's combo, is a special guest on several tracks, highlighted by the funky arrangement of the standard "Willow Weep for Me," which also adds percussionist
Gary Fritz. ~ Ken Dryden