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photo by Fred Becker
"Guitarist Mike
Gellar spends a lot of time ensemble-hopping on his debut album, "Perdido"
(Mike's), jumping from duo to quintet settings without missing a beat. Along
the way he creates intricately woven guitar essays with Steve Abshire, provides
plush chordal accompaniment for trumpeter Chris Battistone's alluring take on
"Indian Summer", joins bassist Paul Langosch in fashioning a luminous duet
arrangement of "Angel Eyes," and helps Battistone and tenor saxophonist Chris
Bacas light up the bebop contours of Charlie Parker's "Mohawk." Yet for all the
versatility and technique Gellar displays, what ultimately sets the album apart
is the great delight he takes in playing jazz with musicians he admires -
an enthusiasm that colors every performance. "
- The
Washington Post |