I wrote this for jazzreview.com. Click here to read it on that site. You will have to scroll down some.

Kevin Breit and Cyro Baptista Supergenerous (Blue Note, 2000)
by Micah Holmquist
October 17, 2000

Kevin Breit (guitars),
Cyro Baptista (percussion),
Cassandra Wilson (vocals)

The duo of Kevin Breit and Cyro Baptista have augmented ensembles lead by such individuals as Herbie Hancock, k.d. Lang, Paul Simon and John Zorn. Working with such an eclectic collection of musicians undoubtedly requires the ability to play an array of styles and this trait is fully evident on Supergenerous. Without seem forced or contrived, the music wears a diverse of influences on its sleeve. Jazz and funk feels are most prominent but folk and western tints are there as well. The music doesn’t fit into any of the established genres of music –hence the "contemporary jazz" label since it is contemporary- but is nonetheless quite accessible.

It works for the most part. The sparse instrumentation prevents the music from becoming too slick or overbearing. A larger cast of players could easily have made this material a bit prosaic or even trite. As it is, Supergenerous stands out not for fine playing but rather because Breit and Baptista create a laid back mood with the music that carries through out the disc. Breit uses a wide variety of guitars –both acoustic and electric- and seems to know exactly when to use each one so as to add to what Baptista is doing. Then again, maybe it is the other way around and Baptista knows exactly what to do in order to compliment Breit.

One track does feature an additional performer. Vocalist Cassandra Wilson joins Breit and Baptista for a rendition of the seminal "Home on the Rage." It is both a tribute to and a minor reinvention of this classic song. Breit and Baptista both played on Wilson’s acclaimed New Moon Daughter and this track could easily pass as an unreleased gem from those sessions.

Despite the fine playing and interesting ideas, repeated spins of this disc tended to get a bit tedious. There is certain sameness to the music that does not wear well. A variety of influences and styles are on display but they all on appear just about every cut so the individual tracks don’t stand out. For this reason, Supergenerous is probably best suited to be background music and not a focal point.

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