Mitch Seidman - Ants In A Trance (1996)

Tracklist

01. Bye-Ya
02. Passage Of Three
03. Frog Legs
04. Like Someone
05. Ants In A Trance
06. Jump
07. Reflecting On Jimmy
08. Homage To O.P.
09. In Your Own Sweet Way
10. If I Could
11. Boulevard Of Broken Strings
12. Midnight Mood

For his second Brownstone release, the quiet but inwardly intense guitarist Mitch Seidman explores mostly originals and obscurities with an unusual chamber quartet also featuring bassist Harvie Swartz, bass clarinetist Leonard Hochman and the viola of Ella Lou Weber. The interplay between Seidman and Swartz in particular is consistently impressive while the colors provided by Hochman and Weber are a major plus. The band (in a variety of settings) plays four of the guitarist's diverse originals plus tunes by Thelonious Monk (Bye-Ya), Jimmy Giuffre, Attila Zoller, Dave Brubeck (In Your Own Sweet Way), bassist Bob Nieske, Joe Zawinul (his forgotten gem Midnight Mood) and Charlie Kohlhase in addition to the full group's Boulevard Of Broken Strings. The music ranges from the introspective to performances emphasizing the subtle wit of the players; in general every note counts. Well worth checking out.

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Mitch Seidman
Bass – Harvie Swartz
Bass Clarinet – Leonard Hochman
Viola – Ella Lou Weiler