DAVID BAILIS, Running Through My Mind

While many jazz musicians tag their projects with random cool titles unrelated to any theme, veteran mood-setting, shape shifting guitarist David Bailis titles his fourth album Running Through My Mind as an ode to his fascinating “other” life as an elite runner, 2:53 marathoner, triathlete, coach and host of Tourganic, a podcast offering his thoughts on surviving and training while on the road.

Emerging as a unique voice in jazz following years of playing everything from electro funk (with Pimps of Joytime) to hip hop while also working with the great Philip Glass, Bailis seems to enjoy featuring members of his ensemble even more than he does soloing. On this collection, while frequently engaging us with sparkling solos using his uniquely modulated tones, he gives center stage to saxophonist Caroline Davis and pianist/keyboardist Andrew Links as bassist Jordan Scannetta and drummer Kenneth Salters navigate the colorful polyrhythms as the melodic and harmonic vibes twist and turn with an ever-adventurous flair.

While there is groove aplenty, one irony of the title is that the quintet usually takes its time, revving up about as often as they simmer down while never going into a faster paced, chops for chops sake mode. Bailis complements his hypnotic original material with two sonically intricate, passionately strummed solo runs through Stevie Wonder’s “The Joy Inside Me” and “Jealous Guy,” erroneously credited to Donnie Hathaway (who once memorably recorded it) instead of John Lennon, who recorded the original version on his landmark Imagine album.