Craig Yaremko "Sync" & Nathan Eklund Group "The Crooked Line"

       Craig Yaremko (saxophone, flute, bass clarinet) and Nathan Eklund (trumpet) are up-and-coming jazz players who have recently released excellent albums featuring each other. Yaremko has the more daunting task; there is no piano in his quartet. But with the help of Eklund, bassist Bill Moring, and drummer Steve Johns, chords are never missed. Yaremko can be meditative ("Trance") or funky ("9/19") in his own compositions and offers fresh takes on standards like "Ruby, My Dear" and "Remember." Eklund contributes "Topwise," one of the finest tunes, to Yaremko's disc. Yaremko returns the favor with dizzying solos (check out "Scatterbrained") on Eklund's CD. Eklund's more traditional configuration showcases Joe Elefante on some wonderful piano excursions (notably "Kydee"), along with Brian Killeen, bass, and Josh Dion, drums. Eklund's inventive compositions dominate, but he offers new readings of "All The Things You Are" and Lee Morgan's "Totem Pole." These albums leave no doubt - Yaremko and Eklund will be forces to contend with.

--Ron Netsky, Rochester City News; January 23, 2008