Listening to various horn players IS mandatory for understanding jazz - per se. But - Don Julin has been listening to horn players most of his life and his (maybe) newest adventure Lonesome Cactus Groove of the Neptune Quartet is a distillation of those years of exploration.
This is post be bop stuff - very melodic, very inventive and drop dead gorgeous music. The interplay between Cello, Bass, Guitar and Mandolin has to be heard to be believed. I've got a copy in my car, on my mini disc player, on my computer and up in my office. This one kind of snuck in under the radar a few months back and I've been waiting for someone to mention it.
As an exploration of a mandolin in jazz - YES. Definately yes. Don doesn't try to be anything but a (granted very hip) mandolin player in the band but ... it sounds as if you (me at least) could do that stuff easily. Uh huh - keep listening.
Wonderful is polite!
Mandola fever is permanent.
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