Suns of Cosmic Consciousness, the debut cd from Solar, the cooperative trio of pianist Eli Yamin, bassist Adam Bernstein and drummer/saxophonist/percussionist Andy Demos, explores an expansive galaxy of modern jazz reflecting the myriad musical influences of its members. "Solar is," in the words of The Newark Star Ledger's George Kanzler, "one of those rare ensembles that brings genuine fervor and kinetic energy -the kind usually associated with the best rock-to modern jazz." Co-produced with longtime friend and collaborator, They Might Be Giants drummer Marty Beller, Suns of Cosmic Consciousness mixes the music of Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra and its own members with the exciting rhythms of Africa, Brazil, Cuba and India in a stimulating mélange that radiates with a powerful originality.

The disc begins with Bernstein's Samba De Aztac, a rhythmic tour de force that opens with Yamin's powerful piano playing the Salvadorean inspired melody over the composer's bass ostinato and Demos martial drumbeat. The pianist's lyrical solo gives way to a percussion interlude of revolutionary force and then steadily increases in intensity to frenzied finale full of arpeggio clusters reminiscent of Don Pullen.

Yamin's Reincarnation 1968, an imaginative journey through kirtan chanting rekindling the spirit of the Woodstock generation, features a chorus including Yamin, Bernstein and guest vocalists Kate McGarry and Jane Kelly Williams augmented by Beller's additional percussion. Demos sets the tone playing tabla before the multi-instrumentalist switches to tenor saxophone, delivering a muezzinist statement evocative of George Adams in its synthesis of sensitivity and strength, followed by his playing of a funky backbeat.

Remember Rockefeller At Attica, Charles Mingus's commemorative condemnation of the arrogant New York governor's destructive demonstration of power at the infamous upstate prison named in the song's title, begins with a short introduction that has Yamin hearkening more to Cecil Taylor than Pullen (a fine, but important distinction), before the trio swings the ironically pleasant melody straight ahead with a stride section and an articulate bass solo worthy of the song's composer.

Bernstein's impressionistic In, Out is a work of delicate beauty spotlighting the composer's melodious bass with Yamin's spare piano and Demos's fine brushwork.

On Waltz On The Hudson, Yamin offers a romantic melody with a lilting Ellingtonian elegance that shows off the improvisational abilities of the trio, both as passionate individual soloists and a tightly knit unit.

The trio's performance of Thelonious Monk's Rhythm-a-ning nods in the direction of the High Priest's disciple Randy Weston with an original arrangement that puts Yamin's between-the-cracks piano over an intriguing Bernstein bass line and Demos insistent out-in-front African percussion.

Yamin's Perk Up, is a dedication to his recently departed mentor, drum master Walter Perkins. It is a Monkish swinger that has the band's members demonstrating their ability to shine in the slightly more conventional setting built around a series of drum exchanges with Demos.

Demos' brooding arrangement of Kurt Weill's September Song was conceived as a memorial to the tragedy of 9/11. This piece offers an unexpected vehicle for the trio's heightened sense of intuitive communication. Yamin's contemplative piano and Demos's expressive drums contribute to the composition's sense of confused sadness, sounding much like a surrealistic soundtrack to the day's disastrous events.

Prototype For Constructive Dialogue, by Bernstein is a model of dynamic trio performance. The piece commences deliberately with Yamin's solo piano, soon to be joined by Bernstein's singing bass and Demos' gently prodding drums, and slowly builds in tempo and intensity to become a vigorous bluesy conversation between the players, climaxing in a beautiful bowed bass solo.

Solar 2002, is a short Yamin composition that displays the influence of Paul Bley on the pianist's improvisational style. The piece is noteworthy for both the melody's initial childlike simplicity and its astute use of space.

The band pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix with a soulful version of Earl King's Come On. Bernstein opens it up with a bass solo not unlike Charles Mingus's powerful introduction to his Haitian Fight Song. Yamin sings the emotional lead vocal on this rocking pianoless bass feature.

Suns of Cosmic Consciousness concludes fittingly with a stirring performance of Sun Ra's Love In Outer Space. The trio approaches the piece with a gracefulness reminiscent of Ahmad Jamal groups, with Yamin waxing rhapsodic at the piano, Bernstein providing a melodious foundation on bass and Demos swinging tastefully with brushes.

Solar has been together, exploring and expanding the jazz tradition in its own innovative way for fifteen years. Their commitment to communication between the players and the audience reaches out to listeners both inside and outside of the jazz world, providing positive energy in today's challenging times. Suns of Cosmic Consciousness shows that the music of Solar is truly the jazz of now. And the future.