An earlier disc paid tribute to Bill Evans, but this one is more about line, bounce and energy. The throwaway title is misleading. These are carefully thought-out tracks, designed as ensemble pieces rather than merely blowing heads and, on 'More Or Less' and 'Harry Haller', Askren and his men deliver a powerful sting, technically astute and emotionally satisfying.
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It's been a long time since this reviewer can remember when he last heard "smart jazz."  The type of music that makes you sit up, adjust your head and really listen carefully to what's being played and how the musicians are interacting.  So subtle and idiosyncratic, yet so fresh and charming, Los Angeles guitarist Dave Askren's Some Other Things is full of oddly attractive music and musicians who are obviously not in it for a check.  The final result can only be described as dictionarily defined - hip and cool...
The solos from Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict are witty, thoughtful, yet so of the moment you can feel the tension build and release as motivic constructs fight to coalesce into beautiful statements.
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There’s something instantly appealing about his unadorned and clean guitar tone, not to mention a set of compositions that are tuneful, challenging and smart...a quartet with the talent and group empathy to transform what might, in lesser hands, sound like an intellectual experiment, instead of the cheerful and bright model of improvisation that it is.
  Askren’s lines are consistently unpredictable and free of obvious guitaristic cliché, while sax player Jeff Benedict is an apt foil injecting as he does smooth and sensuous counterpoint. Bassist Mike Flick and drummer Jon Nathan are more than capable, especially the latter who knows just how to kick up the excitement quotient without ever drowning out the leader’s voice. 
	For anyone with a soft spot for the Gary Burton groups of yore, as well as some of the things Joey Baron and Bill Frisell have collaborated on, Askren’s latest will likely prove engaging and rewarding.
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This is an excellent CD. The arrangements, and all the quartet members, are outstanding ... another gem from Sea Breeze.
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