Michael Musillami Trio + 4 - Mettle (2012)

Mettle is veteran guitarist/composer Michael Musillami's sixth recording with his flagship trio featuring bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. The music, including Musillami's first extended work, the eight-movement Summer Suite: Twenty Ten, is largely autobiographical, but the record itself celebrates the trio's 10th anniversary as a working unit. On Mettle, they form the core rhythm section of a new sextet, featuring special guests Russ Johnson (trumpet), Ned Rothenberg (alto saxophone and clarinet), Jeff Lederer (tenor saxophone and clarinet) and Matt Moran (vibraphone), created to fully realize Musillami's latest compositions.