Smooth and a bit bluesy, but fortified with a classic big-band drummer/bandleader, the Pete Swan Trio elevates any venue to a level of resplendence that's absolutely foreign to Tucson. Their warm, Buddy Rich-meets-Acoustic Alchemy jazz soothes—repetitive guitar flirts with post-Pastorius fretless bass. Swan grounds and adorns the melodies at once with his light, shimmery brush-cymbal work and snare-over-tom accents. Reminiscent of the '40s in mood, but turned-on in a slinky, post-bebop mindset, this ain't no nostalgia act; rather, it's jazz that accounts for all its eras and adds to the great musical cannon.
Runners up:
2. Haboob
3. Bryan Dean Trio
