DeRosa is quite a revelation. Best known as a sideman on records with the likes of Ralph Alessi and Rudresh Mahanthappa, he is a virtuoso bassist with a technique recalling that of Jaco Pastorius or Scott LaFaro from the past and maybe Drew Gress from the present. As a composer, he is equally formidable. His seven tunes here are all of a different hue, covering almost every genre from post-bop to rock and fusion to funk. Some with jagged-edged complex themes like the opening ‘Circular Waves’ through the Monkish ‘For Otto’ to the tender romantic ‘Maja’. Thankfully the grooving ‘Headbangers Bawl’, with an extended tenor solo, isn’t nearly as frightening as its title. The centrepiece of the CD is the 13-minutes-plus ‘Terrane/A Phrase’, which builds into a sort of clash of the Titans, with an aggressively dissonant avant garde climax. And finally, the heavy funk-based ‘Route 17’. But however involved the arrangements become, everything is completely accessible and this is an exceptional album. As for the musicians, Mark Shim (one-time Blue Note artist and Terence Blanchard sideman and now a Mingus Big Band member) is one of the most original of all the current tenor stylists. His urgent gruff, dog-harrying-a-bone tone has early roots in the Hawkins – Don Byas era but, of his contemporaries, is occasionally reminiscent of the also underrated Gary Thomas. His solos come in short, sharp bursts and always leave one wanting more. Vijay Iyer, heard here on Rhodes more often than usual, is now unquestionably the ground breaking pianist in jazz, really gets into De Rosa’s conception, adding his own idiosyncratic interpretations and also inspires all the solo sections. As for Justin Brown, his playing with Ambrose Akinmusire’s current group will certainly give exposure to his outstanding talent. All in all, a super group of creative musicians, all strongly individual stylists playing deep, dark, muscular music with a remarkably wide appeal.