Guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos will be familiar to many Vortex patrons...

Guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos will be familiar to many Vortex patrons courtesy of his work with drummer Asaf Sirkis's latest trio, completed by bassist Yaron Stavi, and it is this tight, intelligently responsive band that the Greek-born leader fronts on this, his second album (his first, Wait for the Dusk, was a quartet outing with saxophonist Robin Fincker).

All the compositions, which range from soft, slow tumbles ('Archipelago') and slow-building burners ('Prayer') to brisk, driving pieces culminating in blistering solos ('Out and About' a standout track), are Spiliotopoulos's, and are well suited to his versatile, fluent style on both electric and acoustic instruments.

He is a careful, even circumspect player, but is capable where necessary of producing both spiky urgency and flowing energy, and in Stavi and Sirkis he has the perfect rhythm section, constantly prodding and pushing him, subtly but forcefully emphasising every nuance of his deceptively straightforward-sounding themes.

With brief guest appearances from two collaborators, John Parricelli and Kenny Wheeler (the latter producing a typically absorbing solo, imbued with his trademark frail lyricism, on the long-lined 'Cosmic Motion'), this is a fine album from an intense, powerful band.

From  >>  http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/cd-reviews/archipelagos.html