Album
Star Of Jupiter
Album Number: Tenth album as a band leader · Format: First quartet album since The Next Step (2001) · Notable Feature: Transcriptions published by Mel Bay
A Quartet Returns, Renewed
Rosenwinkel assembles a fresh band for his first real quartet venture in over a decade.
Star of Jupiter marks Rosenwinkel's return to the quartet format after a long absence. His last proper quartet album came out in 2001 with The Next Step, so this one feels like a deliberate choice to revisit that sound with new ears and new players. The album leans heavily on original material, which tells you something about where his compositional voice stands at this point in his career. There is one remake here—"A Shifting Design"—which suggests he wanted to bring an older idea into conversation with the new work rather than simply abandon it.
What strikes you listening through is how present and alive the playing feels. This is not a record where the band is working out ideas in real time; instead, there is intention behind every statement. Rosenwinkel has always been a guitarist who listens as much as he leads, and that quality carries through. The material itself sits somewhere between introspection and clarity—nothing here is obscure or difficult for the sake of it, but nothing is obvious either. Critics at All About Jazz responded strongly, calling it a contemporary classic, and there is real substance to that claim. AllMusic's rating of 4.5 out of 5 suggests a record that lands in that strong middle ground where most of his best work lives: accomplished, focused, and worth your time.
The fact that Mel Bay published transcriptions speaks to how the musicianship resonates with other players. This is the kind of album that works both as a standalone listen and as a reference point for how to approach the guitar in a small ensemble. If you have heard Rosenwinkel's work and want to understand what he sounds like when fully committed to a quartet setting in the contemporary moment, this is the place to hear it.
