I was familiar with Magnusson, but not the other musicians in the group. I am impressed with all of them, especially the guitarist Peter Sprague. The blend of instruments is pleasing and the range of tunes keeps your interest. The arrangements are attractive and the solos are appropriate for each piece. The recorded sound is excellent, too. Every tune on the disc has something to recommend it, but my favorites are Reef Dance, Sea Blues and Undercurrent. I have zero interest in surfing, but clearly the sport has inspired Magnusson and his friends - and listeners are rewarded for it. A CD like this proves once again that one doesn't have to have Big Names to have excellent music.

Jazz lovers will find this a *tremedously* satisfying listen --- regardless of their experience (or lack of) with the surfing experience. Like all good sessions, Bob's new outing presents a rich variety of feels, from the more intense title track (which reminds surfers of the experience of "dropping in" and navigating a more ferocious wave) to the more placid tracks which bring to mind the beauty of the ocean at sunrise and sunset, as well as assorted moods in-between. And the typically magnificent sound captured at Spragueland (owned/operated by jazz guitar great Peter Sprague) is the sonically delicious icing on the cake! This recording is a great opportunity for jazz listeners to aquaint themselves with some of San Diego's truly outstanding players: Bob Magnusson,(bass) Peter Sprague, (guitar) Tripp Sprague (tenor) and Duncan Moore. (drums) With a quest appeance and song contributed by former San Diegan Randy Porter, (piano) who now makes Oregon his home. Thanks Bob -- you continue to enrich my *jazz life*!!!

Bob Magnusson is undeniably one of the finest acoustic bass players on the planet, renown for the warm, rich, and resonant tones he coaxes from his instrument, as well as for his stunning technique, gliding up and down the neck, tying together the rhythm and melody with a seemingly effortless innate musicality. He plays like a man who loves what he does. Another of Bob’s passions, one that he has also cultivated most of his life, happens to be surfing. A surfer - gliding, sliding down the wave on his board, urging, steering it thru the curl - in a very real sense becomes one with the wave. A bass player - fingers sliding up the neck, hands coaxing fat, round, percussive sounds from his instrument - becomes one with the music. How fittingly fortuitous then, that the original compositions on this latest Magnusson recording pay aural homage to his love of surfing – passion overlapping passion. When you find your true real self in your art, you lock on to the crest, with nothing ahead but a long sublime ride. Luckily, we get to go along too.