This witty quintet fronted by guitarist Michael Musillami and bassist Mario Pavone evince as joyful precision as they toy with tradition. It’s your standard-issue jazz band with two horns and rhythm section, but the horns play the supporting role most of the time while the rhythm section holds down the melodies and solos. Pavone tunes like "Bella at Six" and "Halos" deploy the line-up in different configurations and use overlapping themes and rhythms that break up the Blue Note heads/solos mold. And Connecticut-based Musillami’s arresting sharp-edge tone has a steely bite and a bluesy twang. On "Swedish Fish" and "Sequence," he develops his ideas with both clarity and a sense of surprise. Trombonist Art Baron blows a fearsome solo on "Drop Op," and reed player George Sovak coils and whips his way through a baroque solo on "En Tandem." Pavone is another source of inventive subversion, varying his bass patterns beneath the soloists and taking the lead voice on many of the melodies. He and Musillami are especially well attuned to each other, and their interactions make for some of the most satisfying moments on the disc. George Schuller’s sneaky drumming drifts into oblique patterns one minute, then slides into a driving groove the next. This is a band who deliver the fundamental satisfactions of swinging jazz, even as they defy its conventions.
(The Musillami/Pavone Quintet perform at the Regattabar this Tuesday, February 18, with George Schuller’s Schulldogs. Call 617-876-7777.)