Cuong Vu

Considering how edgeless Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell's recent efforts have been, you'd be forgiven for assuming that a new album by Cuong Vu would be a sedate affair. Vu has been Metheny's trumpet player since 2001, and this album features Frisell on guitar. The gauzy title track lures listeners in with a bucolic opening indebted to Metheny—right before Frisell unleashes the sort of skronk that made him an early Knitting Factory favorite. Not that anyone's going to mistake this for an album by Frisell's avant-jazz NYC supergroup Naked City, but Vu's engaging compositions provide an ideal setting for both of them to explore the dichotomy of their day gigs and their outward-leaning impulses.

Joined by fretless bassist Stomu Takeishi and explosive young drummer Ted Poor, the trumpeter could easily coast down the road that Miles Davis paved in the '70s and '80s, as many of his contemporaries do. But instead of Davis's intimate muted cry, Vu favors a soaring open tone and long melodic phrases, delivered with a generous helping of reverb. "Brittle, Like Twigs" and "Expressions of a Neurotic Impulse" evolve from rhythmically tricky openers into cacophonous improvisations and back, with the occasional pastoral interlude keeping things grounded. The small ensemble also achieves a remarkably dense sound thanks to electronic looping, providing a harmonically rich and ever-shifting sonic backdrop.

Vu's exploring new territory, and he's fortunate to have sidemen able to keep up with him. Luckily, Frisell hasn't forgotten how to cut loose, and it's a tribute to his taste and ability that he never overshadows the rest of the band. Released by grassroots-friendly Internet distributor ArtistShare and available through www.cuongvu.com, It's Mostly Residual is a refreshing dose of forward-thinking music from an artist confidently exploring a personal vision of creativity.—Ben Taylor