Guitarist Tom Lagana has been steadily building a strong reputation as a multi-faceted artist in the mid-Atlantic region. As a jazz guitarist and bandleader in clubs, festivals, and recordings, as a classical guitarist in master classes and with orchestras, as an educator, and as a composer, Lagana has garnered respect for his creativity, musical integrity, and devotion to his craft. With his second recording, Schematic, Tom Lagana took his group in a bold new direction. Jazz icon, tenor and soprano saxophonist George Garzone joined the group as Lagana took them from a rhythmically inventive take on the jazz standard “All Or Nothing At All” to a letter-perfect reading of the challenging Thelonious Monk number “Evidence” to a sublime rendition of Bill Evans’ gorgeous “Re: Person I Knew.” Lagana and company show their deep understanding and reverence for the tradition while putting a fresh spin on those jazz staples. Tom Lagana’s third recording, and his second for the HarvestTime label, Vol. 1 is the first to showcase his nylon-string guitar work on every track. This perfectly suits the record’s strong Brazilian influence. George Garzone returns to join the group, this time brilliantly showing off his Stan Getz influence as the group unites to exhibit an updated interpretation of works by A.C. Jobim, Ary Barroso, Jim Hall, and Chick Corea, along with standards such as “Shadow of Your Smile,” “Nature Boy,” and “Moonlight in Vermont.” In addition, Lagana, Garzone, and bassist Tom Baldwincontribute original compositions to the mix. Dominic Smith, the newest member to the group, rounds out the quartet on drums.