Sometimes fans of bebop and those who have not been paying close attention to more modern musical developments will claim that jazz has not evolved much during the past several decades. However recordings such as guitarist Steve Grismore's
Just Play serve as proof of the opposite. Jazz has continued to move forward, year by year, even as some musicians are content to be creative in historic styles. On this set, Grismore and his quintet (co-leader tenor saxophonist
Paul Scea, trumpeter
Tim Hagans, bassist John Turner, and drummer
Matt Wilson) use the innovations of the avant-garde as one of the ingredients in their unpredictable brand of post-bop jazz. While some tunes use standard chord changes part of the time (such as the blues "Jack With a Beer Back"), other tunes are free bop à la
Ornette Coleman, with the improvising not utilizing chords but still progressing logically. The players all have impressive musicianship, listen closely (and react quickly) to each other, are versatile, and are constantly open to spontaneous new ideas. The results are quite memorable. ~ Scott Yanow