Vibes 4

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Bill Ware III makes for an imposing presence, with his thick veil of dreadlocks and the muscled arms of an ambidextrous tennis pro. Yet he has a light touch on the electric vibraphone, which he played to semi-fame as a member of the New York ensemble the Jazz Passengers. Here Ware leads Vibes, a loose-knit group of musicians who take their name from his main instrument (he also plays Fender Rhodes, timbales, and claves on this CD) and whose roster includes some fellow Passengers (bassist Brad Jones, drummer E.J. Rodriguez). The band's fourth album also evidences that group's primary motivations, especially the mix of sinuous, expert musicianship with overt pop-music references (a Vince "Snoopy" Guaraldi quote at the close of "Little Jack Russell"; a cover of the Beatles' "Michelle"; the presence of Blondie's singer and frequent Passengers guest Deborah Harry on "Me and You"). Also evident is the Passengers' determination to find a common ground between chamber music and jazz, something at which Ware, who added a cellist (Rob Thomas) and violinist (Sara Wollan) to the Vibes lineup for this album, excels. On "Little Jack Russell," the string duo at times plays in complete sympathy with the horns and vibes, and at other seems to be going in its own purposeful direction, as if the jazz group had its own theme music playing in the background. The "Michelle" arrangement, in particular, is lush and beautiful. The Harry track is another standout. On it, she sings slightly off-key (again, purposefully), with Jay Rodriguez (saxes, flutes) commenting coyly on the pair's apparent romantic incompatibility. Ware's sense of humor and his writing for strings make this album more than a mere vehicle for a talented soloist. --Marc Weidenbaum

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