Samo Salamon Quartet - Ornethology (2003)

Samo Salamon is a young guitarist from Slovenia who may qualify as one of the hardest working musicians around. The result is a captivating program of contemporary jazz which, while there is some emphasis on free playing, has a construction and focus which puts it well ahead of other recordings of its kind. Think early 90s Blue Note Scofield, with less grease and blues and a more European aesthetic. As a writer, while the influences are also evident, he has managed to assimilate them with his own life experiences into something that is more distinctive and abstruse. Ornethology is strong evidence that Samo Salamon is a young musician to watch; with a maturity and vision greater than his years, there is little doubt that he is developing into an artist of consequence; the only hope is that he can break free of the barriers of his own country and garner the broader audience he so richly deserves. -- John Kelman