Bay area accordionist and multi-key player Rob Burger, also of Tin Hat Trio, presents 14 trio tracks with the accompaniment of Greg Cohen on bass andKenny Wollesen on vibes, drums and percusion. Tinted with traditional flavors the trio starts this excellent release with a Masada-fueled track, Inzihuat,riding on solid rhythms while Burger presents a complex and joyous melodic head. This format is shifted and transmuted through the release, occassionally dropping to duet or solo keys, but always returning to the stability of the rock solid trio. Two of the pieces presented are traditional (Dem Monastrishter Rebin's Chosid'land Aveenu Malkenu) and one is a Kurt Weill cover (Youkali); the rest of the release presents Burger's own well defined and playful compositions.

Focusing on accordion through much of the album, Burger shifts to a variety of organs, piano, prepared and toy pianos, spacey lounge organs, indian banjo, glockenspiel, and even shortwave radio. This adds a broad pallette of moods and sounds, making this a much more varied release than one might expect. In Burger's hands even the homeliest of keyboards sounds appropriate, playing intricately and whimsically, if sometimes a bit floridly, but foremost playing to serve the music. Wollesen is his closest kin here, making tracks like Youkalimore interesting through his use of tongue-drum sounding percussion that add a sense of lounge antiquity, or on Arturo, the Aqua Boy where his bells beautifully complement Burger's celeste playing.

Less dark than Tin Hat Trio work, this is a record to come back to, a well paced affair that constantly rewards the listener with great music that draws from a variety of current styles while reminding us of the tradition from which they were born.