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Title: Neo-noir Jazz
Review: Subterranean Jazz's second album (following their brilliant eponymous debut in 1999) shows the band expanding their melodic grooves to include a panache of latin rhythms, complex harmonic structures, and creative songcraft. The elements of the group --guitar, stand-up bass, drums, and saxophone -- blend beautifully with each other to create a cohesive, smooth machine. Each musician gets many opportunities to shine both musically and compositionally on this record, most notably saxophonist Tom Clohessy, whose mellifluous playing on such standouts as the Indian-flavored "Azahar" and "Santa Cruz Postcard" exhibits a clear understanding of the kind of noir-jazz that brings to mind the era of 1950s. Although an instrumental record, Subway Sonnets carries the listener on a wave of word pictures -- rain slicked streets, a dank nightclub, dim neon, and bourbon on the rocks...
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