Nature: The Essence, Part 3

Still pursuing his own muse, is up to his usual tricks with his hypnotic vamps and and feverish runs, as ever refusing to toe the line and sound like everyone else. In this, the third installment of his Essence series, Jamal adds a different twist -- a fine jazz steel drum player named -- and he mixes a few transfigured standards ( is completely re-routed through his nervous system) with pieces of his own. The first version (for quartet) of "If I Find You Again" is a magnificent example of the tension can generate. "And We Were Lovers" and "Chaperon" are huge, borderline bombastic piano solos that ought to erase any doubts that continues to command one monster keyboard technique. As in the previous Essence entries, a guest horn player shows up briefly, tenorman in epigrammic form on "Devil's in My Den," and the ultra-responsive rhythm section remains (drums) and (bass). ~ Richard S. Ginell