Michael Musillami Trio

The connection between father and son can be the deepest in human experience. And when guitarist Michael Musillami's son chose to end his life, the father poured his feelings into this heartfelt 11-song recording. "Introduction" is beautiful and profoundly sad, a fitting port of entry. Next is "Old Tea," a tribute to a ritual the pair shared, and the rapport with long-time band-mates drummer George Schuller and bassist Joe Fonda makes the guitar/bass unison line groove irrepressibly. The guitarist's technique is fleet and precise, and his tone is usually bell-clear. But on "'King Alok," he lets out his inner Mahavishnu, with wrenching string bends and a throbbing, burly bass solo; it's a CD standout. The compositions and blowing are of uniformly high quality. With such musical lucidity and collective empathy, this group are doubtless a source of solace and an artistic outlet for this extraordinarily expressive guitarist.