Ergo

At this point, the jazz plus electronics combo no longer merit breathless descriptors like "cutting edge," "future jazz" or "jazz 2.0." Ergo are a New York-based trio of trombone, keyboards and drums given a digital rinse and regurgitation. They make moody music, especially since the Fender Rhodes is difficult to divorce from '70s sonic references, and the Prophet synth is all about the early '80s. Both remain versatile tone generators, and with the somewhat more urgent drumming of Shawn Baltazor rarely evoking fusions past, this is no nostalgia trip. The main point of interest is the lead 'bone work, which cuts through the dreaminess of the keys and digital refractions. The trombone treatments are vital to the compositions; this is no mere dub frippery. This disc is best experienced as a suite, as ultimately many of these songs don't stick with you, demonstrated by such titles as "Vessel," "She Haunts Me" and "Little Shadow," which suggest fleeting, reflective images.