Jon Greeno
"Catharsis"
Self-released
Rochester guitarist Jon Greeno has assembled an all-star cast for this gentle foray into peace and reflection on his new CD, "Catharsis." Greeno lays back to let the collective star power shine before picking up the brush to paint wide swatches of tonally astute guitar.
Greeno's dexterity is slick and smooth. Just dig the opening passage to "Skippin'," which starts pretty before the whole rest of the band kicks in in unison. Greeno exhibits nimble speed, amazing grace, and some slicker, more sinister tones that bop and spar harmoniously.
This saves Greeno and his band from being pigeonholed into the exclusivity of the smooth jazz idiom. Sure, it's smooth as it maneuvers between assorted plateaus and changes, but there is a lot more going on in the confines of this platter — in fact, there aren't really any confines to speak of. "Catharsis" offers way more in the way of variety of tone and mood and execution. Hell, it's cathartic. Oh, and the cut "Goodbye to a Dream" may very well break your heart... it almost got mine.
