Search - Various Artists :: The Music of Eric von Essen, Vol. 3

This series of tributes to Eric von Essen has hipped people outside the Los Angeles music scene to the work of this gifted composer and bassist. But at the same time, the series is excellent and gives a nice overview of L.A. jazz, which, according to the work here, is flourishing. As with the other volumes, this third and final installment features various groups taking on a von Essen song or two (this time it's eight groups and 10 songs), with notables Nels Cline, Jeff Gauthier, Alex Cline, and Peter Erskine back again. With the exception of the upbeat post-bop of Stacy Rowles's two tracks, the music on this volume tends towards the meditative, with even the most adventurous playing folded into an almost elegiac and beautifully melodic vibe. It's hinted in the liner notes that von Essen was something of a romantic, and that certainly comes through on this CD. --Tad Hendrickson