Mike Janzen - Mombacho (CD)

*Mombacho* is Mike's sophomore jazz album. Following closely on the heels of his award-winning debut "Beginnings", *Mombacho* suffers from none of the all-to-common second album gremlins. Mike writes and leads his trio (occasionally augmented by saxophonist Phil Dwyer, guitarist Kevin Breit and strings) with clarity and authority. His native humor, intelligence and spirituality are present in abundance on nine original compositions. Jazz readings of Mrs. Robinson (Simon and Garfunkel), All The Diamonds (Bruce Cockburn) and God Put A Smile On My Face (Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Marten) round out the contents. With the original working title "Road Trip", *Mombacho* takes us on a jazz journey through urban-esk funk, beautiful smooth fusion, sensual tango and neo-standard jazz. From start to end this is an album steeped in melody, rich in texture, and full of energetic grooves. Enjoy!