International Association of Jazz Record Collectors

IAJRC Journal - Vol. 41, No. 1 - February 2008

Bassist Stephan Crump's melodic approach to his instrument is at the heart of Rosetta, a thoroughly pleasing trio date with guitarists Liberty Ellman on acoustic and Jamie Fox on an electric instrument. This is friendly, back-porch improvising, easy-going and welcoming. All the tunes are by Crump, who's perhaps best known as a member of Vijay Iyer's quartet, and he clearly knows how to give the musicians something to work with as they develop these performances in various directions. Particularly arresting are the sense of foreboding they evoke on "Were It a Loss", or the guitar's gleeful subversion of the simple bass theme on "Kudzu". But there are plenty more passages to savor in an absorbing 50 minutes. Definitely recommended and worth seraching for.