After racking up an illustrious and highly diversified resume as a sideman, guitarist
Adam Rogers
stepped out as a leader with the long-awaited
Art of the Invisible
on the
Criss Cross
label. Joined by pianist
Edward Simon
, bassist
Scott Colley
, and drummer
Clarence Penn
,
Rogers
displays staggering straight-ahead
jazz
chops and a sophisticated compositional voice. His program runs the gamut from
standards
and
blues
(
"Long Ago and Far Away,"
"Bobo"
) to free (
"The Aleph"
). Other highlights include the deft arpeggiated lines of
"The Invisible"
"Book of Sand,"
the blistering minor
of
"In Broad Daylight,"
the flowing lyricism of
"Absalom,"
and the dark-hued
balladry
"Cathedral"
"The Unvanquished."
In addition to his clean, sturdy tone and stunning technical facility on electric (he brings
Metheny
to mind at times),
plays sumptuously on both nylon- and steel-string acoustic instruments during the course of the record. Fans of modern
guitar, and highly refined
composition in general, should watch this player closely. ~ David R. Adler