CUONG VU - It's Mostly Residual (ArtistShare) Featuring Bill Frisell on guitar, Cuong Vu on trumpet, Stomu Takeishi on electric bass and Ted Poor on drums. This is the fourth fine disc from local trumpet hero Cuong Vu in just under a decade. Each of his previous CDs features a trio or quartet with fretless bass great Stomu Takeishi. Cuong's new disc features guest guitarist Bill Frisell with the in-demand new drummer Ted Poor. Since Cuong's last disc, "Come Play With Me" (2001, Knit Works), Mr. Vu has become a member of the Pat Metheny Group, traveling the world and recording discs with the ultra-popular Pat Metheny. The opening track is the title piece and it is a sumptuous, lovely. laid-back gem with layers of magical Frisell guitar sounds and solos. Stomu's sublime fretless bass provides a perfect cushion for Cuong's lovely, enchanting echoed trumpet melody. On "Expressions of a Neurotic Impulse", Ted Poor whips up a hyper drum n' bass beat as Cuong spews streams of notes with Mr. Frisell's warped guitar stylings blistering underneath, both spiraling in a haze of clouds. Nice to hear Frisell whipping it out, something we haven't heard from him in quite a long while. While the bass and drums play a steady yet swerving pulse below, both Vu and Frisell swirl hypnotic waves of notes around one another on "Patchwork". The sunny opening and closing theme seems to come from a different dimension than the rest of the spaced-out piece. At the beginning of "Brittle, Like Twigs", Cuong mutates his trumpet as Stomu's dark, rocking bass line cuts through the dense shrapnel. Both Cuong and Bill twist their sound(s) into strange shapes, both taking scary, intense solos. "Chitter Chatter" is a freer piece with eerie, slow moving sounds floating together. Cuong's drone-like trumpet sounds more like an organ, as Frisell weaves layers sonic tones into the blend. When they finally morph into an actual song, it sure feels good as both Cuong and Bill take great solos. "Blur" is a perfect closing piece: melancholy, luscious, haunting, touching and quite tasty. Another of 2006's best discs is found right here. www.cuongvu.com