Bassist
Kevin Deitz had been on the Portland jazz scene for decades prior to
Skylines, but always as a sideman. With
Skylines, he took his first shot as a bandleader, calling on a number of Portland jazz notables to form a set of rotating quartets. The compositions, all penned by
Deitz, are strong entries. Anchored by a bubbling bassline from
Deitz himself, the pieces borrow liberally from the classics, but add new twists in composition while retaining mood elements from their forebears. "Sunny Side Up" gets a good infusion from "Sunny Side of the Street"; "Uncle Ray" has notes from "Caravan." The band handles them ably, extracting modern nightclub improvisations from them with hardly a blink. The musicians are at their best when reclaiming bop and post-bop territory, with the alternating pianos of Tony Pacini and
George Mitchell providing thick layers of sound for the rest of the band to surround. When the group strays into Latin and more contemporary formats, a little of the magic is occasionally lost, but is often regained by the next song. While the rhythm section tends to form a strong core, it's the solos --
Tim Jensen's flute, Mike Horsfall's vibes -- that grab the listener at unexpected moments.
Deitz's sound should only get clearer as he develops his compositions further, and there's plenty to expect on future releases. ~ Adam Greenberg