Product Description This is the debut of Matt Munisteri's New York-based vintage music band, Brock Mumford. A fine jazz guitarist, Munisteri has more or less rejected the jazz scene and cultivated an identity as a kind of old-timey singer/songwriter. His voice is polished and fairly conservative, his lyrics witty and unpredictable; his guitar playing reveals an impressive mastery of traditional styles, and he also doubles on banjo and mandolin. His instrumentation is doggedly offbeat - joining him are Will Holshouser on accordion/piano, Jon-Erik Kellso on trumpet, Jim Whitney on bass, and Quincy Davis on drums (from Tom Harrell's quintet). All are reliably crisp jazz players, but the emphasis here is on the art of the three- or four-minute song. Amazon.com New York-based Matt Munisteri debuts his curiously named band, Brock Mumford, with Love Story. This quintet straddles several genres with honesty and conviction; jazz, swing, and cabaret are found embedded in the songs themselves, as well as in the playing and arrangements. Munisteri's warm and flexible voice, combined with his considerable guitar prowess, is sympathetically matched with the other members’ keyboards, bass, drums, and trumpet. The set's 14 songs are primarily Munisteri originals, and some were clearly written with his band in mind ("Sign Me Up," "Picciaridu"), while others could easily switch gears and head in one of several different directions. The set ends with a pair of covers. First is Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" which pays homage to Bob Dorough's jazz reading of this song recorded three decades ago. Closing the disc is the gorgeously evocative and subtly complex Van Dyke Parks jewel, "Orange Crate Art." Munisteri's guitar adaptation of this originally piano-based piece is perfectly rendered, with Will Holshouser's accordion stepping in for orchestral color and expanse. --David Greenberger