OWEN CHEN: Eternal

San Diego County born-and-raised jazz guitarist Owen Chen relocated to New York City several years ago. But his debut EP, Eternal (recently given a national re-release), retains one significant nod to his upbringing—the bright, sunny opening track, “Solana Beach.” Showcasing not only his sparkling fretwork, but also a nice compositional touch, the song opens with a slow interplay between pianist Sukyung Kim and bassist Sean Hannon before Chen takes the lead.

His playing on “Solana Beach” is restrained, focusing on tasteful passages, reminding a bit of the late Garrison Fewell in terms of his pacing and phrasing. The song itself has the loveliest melody of his four compositions here. Kim’s extended solo at the halfway point ranges from extended narrative runs to brief chordal attacks before Chen steps back in.

Musically, Chen occupies a fairly unusual place. The songs and arrangements are straight-ahead post-bop with a few hints of ’70s fusion, yet his tone on guitar is crisp and modern. He never seems to favor that kind of “fat” sound so many jazz guitarists lean into, and, in fact, his tone is more reminiscent of what you might hear in a progressive rock band that didn’t rely on effects boxes.

Nor is he necessarily the star of this recording. He gives the other members of his quartet (Joshua Roberts rounds out the combo on drums, while Sunhyun Yoo sits in on alto saxophone on the title track plus “Infinity”) plenty of room to solo or take lead. It is a quartet or quintet in every sense in terms of the arrangements.

“Avalanche” is played at roughly the same tempo as “Solana Beach,” but the band lets loose a bit more on “Infinity,” the addition of Yoo on sax and Kim’s switching to Fender Rhodes bringing a different palette. It also features an edgier arrangement, one that finds Chen comping behind Yoo for much of the track. When he does take a solo, it’s fast-paced with a definitive edge. The quintet brings it home with a three-headed lead of Yoo, Kim, and Chen.

The EP closes out with the title track—a relaxed bit of supper club jazz that features Kim on acoustic piano bracketing Yoo’s extended sax leads. Chen mixes up his sound a bit here, getting a lower tone—not just playing on the bottom end of the guitar, but changing the setup as well.

As any good debut should, this four-song EP is likely to leave the listener wanting more—and looking forward to Chen’s next recording.