Seth Rogovoy, Chronogram
Bassist Scott Petito humbly credits this effort to an all-star ensemble of renowned individual musicians—including keyboardists David Sancious and Rachel Z, drummer Omar Hakim, guitarist David Spinozza, and vibraphonist Mike Mainieri—and, indeed, Rainbow Gravity is a group effort, and a startling one considering how most of the band members are leaders in their own right. But all except one of the 10 tracks are composed by Petito, who also produced and engineered the recording in Catskill. It immediately puts one in mind of the “jazz-rock” of the early 1970s, a genre that connected the dots between Miles Davis and Steely Dan—no surprise, given the presence here of Davis bandmate Jack DeJohnette and Dan pianist Warren Bernhardt. To call it “fusion” is to diminish the deep roots the music and players have planted in bop, funk, and Latin music. But it sure does rock, too. Planetarts.org.
—Seth Rogovoy