In September 2021, during a time of pandemic and isolation, the George Cotsirilos Quartet turns to music as a Refuge. This is guitarist Cotsirilos’ second album with bandmates Keith Saunders on piano, Robb Fisher on bass, and Ron Marabuto on drums. Knowing their styles, he writes that these new compositions were “conceived with this quartet in mind ...” Before this band came together, Cotsirilos helmed a trio with Fisher and Marabuto that recorded three CDs for OA2, which amounts to plenty of playing time together. The musician’s familiarity with one another results in a congenial vibe that make this latest effort a thorough pleasure all the way through. Drummer Rob Marabuto brings his finely honed sense of swing and carefully calibrated dynamics to the proceedings. Veteran bassist Fisher, who had an extended stay in Cal Tjader’s band from 1976 until Tjader’s death in 1982, is a solid player with great time and a big round sound. His solo on a gentle ballad called The Three Doves is a beautifully relaxed interlude leading into Saunders’ piano solo. The pianist, who has recorded with drummer Dick Berk’s Jazz Adoption Agency and the NY Hardbop Quintet, has an emphatic touch and a soulful feeling in his solos. Cotsirilos generally eschews flash in favor of crisp lines and lovely melodies. He gets an attractively clean and unadorned sound on his hollow-body guitar. Highlights include the cheerfully upbeat opener, Devolution, Aftermath with a driving beat that clearly inspires Saunders on his opening solo, the angular melody and unsettling rhythms of A Faint Light, and the freewheeling set closer, Let’s Make a Break For It, with solo statements by all. Refuge is a winner, and warmly recommended.
OA2 22201; George Cotsirilos (g) Keith Saunders (p) Robb Fisher (d) Ron Marabuto (d); Berkeley, CA, September 27-28, 2021; Devolution/ Refuge/ Planet Roxoid/ Igualmente/ The Three Doves/ Slacker/ Aftermath/ A Faint Light/ Smoke Signal/ Let’s Make a Break For It; 57:07. www.originarts.com
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