***Reviews from
http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/albert-vila-albums/6399-the-unquiet-sky.html:"Originally rooted in Spain, Fresh sound Records which by now successfully recruited many fans in Korea as well produces many albums which has lot to do with the United States in terms of market as well as musicians involved. Guitarist Albert Vila’s new album “The Unquiet Sky” also includes all American musicians; Aaron Parks (Pn), Doug Weiss (Bass), Jeff Ballard (Drums) who are already established New York jazz musicians. As the characteristics of side musicians suggest as well as his musical contour implicates Vila’s style shares great deal of stylistical elements with Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Mike Moreo who are still active in the scene. One important difference which differentiate Vila with other two perhaps comes from his multinational, diverse musical education including Spain, Netherlands, and the United States.
‘New Deal’, and ‘Air’ reveals Vila’s unique guitaristic sound which puts him a original stylistic categorie even though ‘Air’ projects the mere shadow of Pat Metheny. ‘Gym Jam’ which was also recorded in Vila’s debute album brought him a compostion award and complicated rhythm with rocking contour sound of ‘Three Days After’, A tune which includes nostalgic guitar solo reminiscent of Ben Monder ‘Beginning’, impressive musical unfolding technique starting from minimalist beginning tune ‘Major Issues’ are among 14 compositions from Vila’s new released record “The Unquiet Sky.”
MM Jazz Magazine, South Korea
(September, 2016)
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"The Spanish guitarist recorded this album in Brooklyn and if you don’t know his name, you might know his band mates: pianist Aaron Parks, drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Doug Weiss.
The album title comes from Edgar Allan Poe “I have no time for idle cares/Through gazing on the unquiet sky” and there is a feeling of searching for the bigger, more complicated picture in the music.
It opens with a virtuoso solo introduction showing Vila’s clear, rounded, bell-like tone, before the band comes in. It’s a busy song with space for Parks to stretch out before he hands over to Vila. This easy passing back and forth between the instruments is a hallmark of the album as a whole, with New Deal, The Bean and Minor Tragedy being prime examples.
Air is one of my favourites a slower piece with Vila winding out a long-legged poignant theme before letting Weiss take over, then the guitarist lays out a solo of increasing optimism against a more propulsive groove. Gym Jam has a beautifully handled tension and release in its structure, and Vila’s solo is a delight.
There are a few short linking pieces between the longer tracks which act a bit like palate cleansers between the more substantial courses of a meal the overall effect is to give the album a good, varied flow.
A most satisfying listen."
Peter Bacon (May 26, 2016)
https://thejazzbreakfast.com_____________________________________________________
"'Therefore', the first track on the new CD from Albert Vila, picks you up and shakes you from moment one in the opening track 'Therefore' with a total show of strength from Albert’s fast cross picked solo guitar intro. Cut from the same cloth that artists like Julian Lage and Pat Metheny come from, every note makes sense and totally sets up the body of the tune when the band comes in. In general, I am someone that can’t listen to a guitarist just for great technique or soloing, there has to be great writing in the compositions. Aaron Parks’ nimble piano is constantly conversing back and forth with Albert’s guitar, and they are an excellent musical pairing for each other.
The second track 'Epilogue' provides that, and is sort of a transitional musical glue to get you to 'New Deal', a piece that sort of gives you a feeling of a journey, which is a feeling that is really present in the whole record. He builds his solo beautifully, until passing it for a very cool interplay solo between Parks’ piano and Jeff Ballard’s drums. The track goes out with a vamp over Vila’s haunting and angular melodic guitar theme.
After all of this, 'Air' is positioned as a “sherbet course” to cleanse the musical palate with something pretty and introspective, which gives us a very nice bass solo from Weiss. The track ends with another cool repeating guitar figure, and a pretty pastoral piano color takes it out.
'Gym Jam' is an aptly named athletic little work out in ¾ time. As always with Vila, a song is never just an excuse to solo, so there’s another strong melody that the tune is built on. The composition won him a Dutch jazz composition award, and you can hear why. This leads to 'Six', an interesting “tone row” type line on the guitar that repeats and lets the drums have some fun reacting to it as it passes by, which sets up the next piece nicely.
'Three Days After' goes aggressive to really change things up now, with some really interesting rhythmic groupings. This tune must have really taken some rehearsal, because these guys make playing over this time modulating groove sound natural and easy, they have it way beyond the point of having to count it. Albert pulls out a guitar synthesizer for his solo on this one, and he definitely shows his ability to go outside the harmony on this one. I’d like to see him do a lot more of this kind of playing both in terms of the synth sound and the sort of outside kind of writing, this might have been my favorite solo from him on the record. The tune ends on a question mark, leaving you wanting more.
'Beginning', a great solo guitar piece, brings you to a more introspective mood. Vila interweaves in some beautiful harmonics with his fretted notes, and then goes into a series of heartfelt arpeggiated single lines to conclude.
'Minor Tragedy' is just like it sounds, a mid tempo brooding piece in ¾, and features a nicely crafted solo from Vila. The tune seamlessly transitions into the aptly titled 'Transition', which begins in ¾ and then moves to an interesting sort of “fractured time” metric modulation section where the melody stays the same but the time changes underneath it, gradually transitioning to 7/4 for a great piano solo from Parks. Ballard uses the same manipulation of the time feel to take us back to ¾ and out.
'Old Recipe' is just a total hard swingin’ old school groove, with a great bluesy head melody that you’d love to hear done in your favorite jazz club live.
'Major Issues' starts with a great hypnotic repeated guitar line, and never stops simmering along from the peculating piano solo to the guitar solo. Doug Weiss on upright bass and Ballard on drums burn up it up underneath the soloists, and then Ballard plays a fiery drum solo over a repeating figure out.
There’s another beautiful solo piece from Albert after that, 'Short Piece', and Via gets a big and beautiful sound out of his instrument, with the piece ending on a sort of anticipatory feeling.
'The Bean' winds the CD up. It’s an interesting medium tempo piece in seven, and Weiss and Ballard keep it loose and flowing throughout. Ballard and the whole band improvise rhythmically over a repeated figure at the end and slowly let off steam to the end.
Vila’s band always brings to mind the Pat Metheny Group in terms of how strong the compositions are and how much the soloing exists to drive the songs forward musically and dramatically everything takes you somewhere. This new young guitarist comes to us from Spain via a Dutch Jazz Competition, which got him a scholarship to the graduate program at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with the likes of Dave Leibman and Rodney Jones so you know that there’s going to be a lot more to come from this very talented musician."
Doug Perkins (April 1, 2016)
http://www.jazzguitarsociety.com_____________________________________________________
"Belgium-based Spanish jazz guitarist Albert Vila delivers his fourth album as leader with The Unquiet Sky, offering a tad more music than a standard album with a presentation of fourteen original compositions of modern-styled jazz that's quite appealing. There's little question whose recording this is as the leader's electric guitar voice becomes the center-piece of the disc from the opening tune.
Except for two tracks documented in Barcelona, Spain (Vila's home town), the project was recorded in New York featuring an all New York-based rhythm section of Seattle-born pianist Aaron Parks, Chicago native, bassist and New School University educator Doug Weiss with Brad Mehldau Trio member, Jeff Ballard rounding out the rhythms on the drumsall forming one formidable modern quartet that swings often here.
Introducing the music with an inviting solo on the beginning "Therefore," Vila leads the group on an adventuristic musical journey through the modern side of the jazz spectrum revealing his talents as a composer with challenging charts like "New Deal," the perky "Gym Jam," and the light atmospheric "Air," just to name a few.
Sounding much like a hard-rock disciple, Vila opens up in rough style on the dark-textured "Three Days After" with strong riffs and a hard beat while, the following brief "Beginning," comes across in warm colors with pleasant soft solo statements from the leader. When you have plenty of music to offer, there will always be many tracks that will draw your attention and there are several defining pieces on this recording of which, the swinging "Old Recipe" is one, offering distinct voices of guitar, piano, bass and drums all in terrific form.
The music ends with two more of those defining tunes: "Major Issues" and the most ambitious and finale piece of the set, "The Bean" where Vila's solos are the most expressive as his band mates weigh in with splendid moments of their own especially young Parks whose aggressive key work is more than complimentary to the leader.
There's no standards, no ballads and no bebop here but that's what makes Albert Vila's The Unquiet Sky so special as the guitarist and renowned crew, forge an impressive well-designed escape from the traditional side of jazz in favor of exploring the more creative and challenging aspects of modern music."
-Edward Blanco (May 1, 2016)
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/_____________________________________________________
Read more reviews:
http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/albert-vila-albums/6399-the-unquiet-sky.html
