Mike Mainieri-Marnix Busstra Quartet
Live In Europe: Trinary Motion
NYC Records
By George W. Harris

Recorded during a series of performances back in 08, the band of Manieri/vibes, Busstra/g, Eric van der Western/b and Pieer Bast/dr deliver two hours of highly melodic originals that include some wondrous interplay. The band, in fact, sort of has a feel as if Pat Metheny were a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. The music is gracious, well paced, intricate and with a touch of classicism, yet always having the underlying pulse of blues and bop as its foundation. Busstra’s guitar work is resilient on tunes like “Strega” and “My good Leg,” while his bouzouki playing on “Kannada” lends a Mediterranean” mysticism to the mood. Western, Bast and Mainieri know when to veer out and in like undulating waves, with “Young and Fine” showing a delicate bounce and balance. Chamber jazz at its best here.