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Mojave: Ristretto

Take some contemporary jazz, add a dash of Latin and sprinkle some lounge. Heat moderately and stir till smooth. The result is one of the best albums I've heard this year. Mojave (Trudy Lile - flute and vocals, Kevin Field - piano, Nathan Porter - piano, Pete Thornley - bass, Phillip Cook - drums, John Highsted - percussion), are an Auckland-based jazz quintet whose album is a stylish blend of classic jazz and pop standards as well as their own originals. Trudy Lile's superb playing reminds you that flute can be cool and is thankfully more Jethro Tull and Herbert Laws than James Gallway. Kevin Field and Nathan Porter show how piano should be played and highlight just how far the rest of us mortals have to go. Tasteful drumming, excellent percussion as well as some sublime bass playing rounds out the rhythm section and keeps the group on the tracks. Recorded at Avondale College and produced by Sam Giles and Trudie Lile, 'Ristretto' covers every thing from Herbie Mann's Bossa Nova Blues to Jethro Tull's Living in the Past. These guys are great and you'd better get used to them as I'm sure you will be hearing a lot of this album in a café near you.

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