Tomo is made up of five talented musicians: pianist
Bill Cunliffe, saxophonist
Bob Sheppard guitarist
Larry Koonse, bassist
Darek Oles and drummer Mark Ferber. Together they explore the music of Reed Kotler, a fine composer who has collaborated with some of the participants on earlier CD projects. While the music falls short of being groundbreaking, it provides a terrific jump-start for the group no matter the setting. Highlights include the sauntering ballad "Sweet Suzannah," the brisk bossa nova "I Will Always Love You" (not to be confused with
Whitney Houston's overblown hit rendition of
Dolly Parton's song) which features
Sheppard's delightful soprano sax, along with the peculiarly titled "In a Restful Pace," as the rapid-fire tempo suggests the hustle and bustle of a big city. The soloists are superb throughout the date, with no one man attempting to outshine the rest. The name of the group is translated from Japanese as "friends," so it is likely that they remained on good terms after this very satisfying marathon recording session. ~ Ken Dryden