Makoto Ozone - Pandora (2000)

Makoto Ozone and the Trio is joined by the award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis on Pandora. His trio -- Clarence Penn on drums and James Genus on bass who has replaced Kiyoshi Kitagawa -- plays 11 original compositions written by either Ozone or Penn. Of particular interest is Ozone's performance on "Pennillium," which displays his strong musical personality with excellent piano artistry: arpeggios, authentic cadences, and chord stylings. While Penn's expertise and sensitive brushwork highlights the harmony of "Sofi," Genus still has some work to do as far as applying his bass colors to Ozone's piano stylings with the right contrast. However, this can certainly be attributed to his newness with the group. Overall, Pandora is very good due to Marsalis' excellence on "Reunion" and the title track, as well as the songwriting skills of both Penn and Ozone.