(Pursuance Records)

The son of a father from India and a mother from the American midwest, San Francisco-based guitartist Alex Pinto brings the fusion of these cultural elements to his debut recording, Inner State. Evident in Pinto’s sound is his love for Hindustani music, as well as the music guitar heroes like Wes Montgomery and Jimi Hendrix. The influence of traditional Indian instruments work their way through the guitar. The music here has an exploratory quality, as the quartet works through the project’s seven original compositions, all written by the group’s leader. The band includes Jaz Sawyer on drums, Dave Tranchina on bass, and Jon Armstrong on tenor saxophone. This is a fantastic debut by a promising new presence on the jazz scene.