Reviewed by Amanda Chan

Sometimes you feel in the mood to sit and relax in a dimly lit room, slowly savor a glass of wine, and listen to music that allows you to unwind. For those nights when you want to turn your living room into a lounge, you might want to listen to the album Quartets.

This album is pianist / composer Leslie Pintchik’s second CD release. The grooves are relaxed and mellow. Even the piano somehow loses its percussive nature under her delicate touch. 

A unique feature of this CD is the fact that there are two slightly different combinations of ensemble players who create distinct and different vibes. However, three players remain constant on all tracks; Leslie Pintchik on piano, Scott Hardy on bass and Mark Dodge on drums. On half of the tracks, the quartet is completed by saxophonist Steve Wilson, and on the other half of the tracks, by Satoshi Takeishi on percussion. Pintchik felt that, "by using two different groups, (they) were able to showcase a broad range of material, grooves and most important, it gave (them) a pretty wide emotional palette to work with."

Hardy and Takeishi stand out even though the music arrangements are well blended and balanced. The bass line is creative and stretches the traditional boundaries of range and melody. Takeishi tastefully adds depth with exotic colors and sounds. Pintchik plays simply, choosing instead to express with tone color and emotion, rather than relying on a technical display to capture the audience.

A few of the tracks energize with swinging Brazilian beats but mostly expect to be lulled into an easy relaxed state. For more information go to www.lesliepintchik.com or www.ambientrecords.com