Eddie Daniels Nepenthe

Rare & Hard-To-Find Audio CDs (series)

Composer: Eddie Daniels.

Personnel: Eddie Daniels (clarinet); Chuck Loeb (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); John Patitucci (acoustic bass, electric bass); Dave Weckl, Adam Nussbaum (drums); Sammy Figueroa (percussion).

Audio Mixers: Joseph Doughney; Josiah Gluck.

Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY (12/06/1989-12/09/1989).

Director: Andy Baltimore.

Photographer: Judy Schiller.

One of the world's great clarinetists, Eddie Daniels is primarily in the spotlight during this modern jazz set. He is joined by guitarist Chuck Loeb (who is excellent in support and as a secondary solo voice), bassist John Patitucci, either Dave Weckl or Adam Nussbaum on drums, and percussionist Sammy Figueroa. They perform seven diverse Daniels originals (complex but swinging), plus two by Loeb and the standards "Soul Eyes" and "Equinox." This release is not as memorable as Daniels' flashier and more spectacular recordings (it is more mellow at times), but it does contain plenty of subtle creativity and effortless (but brilliant) clarinet solos. ~ Scott Yanow