Nathan Eklund, "Trip To The Casbah"

       If contemporary modern music is your preferred slice of the jazz world, then by all means take a detour to Casbah and let trumpeter Nathan Eklund be your guide. On his third release for the Jazz Excursion label, “Trip To The Casbah,” Eklund draws upon a reservoir of talent and crafts one very creative modern jazz album of intricate harmonies and sophisticated lines—all producing a treasure trove of refreshing new material deserving attention. An established horn man in New York's demanding jazz scene, Eklund is an educator by day and a high in -demand musician by night whose professional resume grows lengthier each day. Having performed with some of the best musicians in the business, for this recording Eklund calls on veteran saxophonist Donny McCaslin, guitarist John Hart, Bill Moring on bass and Tim Horner to pound the drums.

       Playing both the trumpet and flugelhorn, Eklund leads his quintet through a musical landscape of mid tempo and high energy textured tunes making for one inter esting listen. The trumpeter is showcased through out the ten tracks of modern jazz but does allow plenty of solo space for band mates. There are ten original compositions all very different in color but engaging nevertheless.

       Highlights include the fast-paced “Passing Trains,” the soft ballad-like “Hand Picked from Her Garden,” the melody-rich “South Chelan” and “Trip To The Casbah” parts one and two both of which feature Eklund on splendid horn play.

       Without diminishing the important roles of guitarist Hart, Horner's drumming and Moring's bass lines, it is saxophonist Donny McCaslin who provides the Ying to Eklund's Yang here dishing out excellent solos making the music just that more interesting to hear. Kudos for Nathan Eklund for he once again proves why he is considered among the elite jazz trumpeters in the business, and one spin of Trip To The Casbah, will convince you. By the way, though not stated anywhere in the sparse liner notes, I do believe the title refers to San Diego's famous Casbah night club, though I may be mistaken.

--Edward Blanco, ejazznews.com; March 8, 2009