Jazz music is a lot like chocolate. There is a large variety of chocolate available, each with varying degrees of quality. The underlying ingredients are deceptively simple - cocoa beans, milk, and sugar - but depending on where it's made and the various blends of each, you can taste countless textures and flavors. If you are a chocolate fan, then there is, in many ways, no such thing as bad chocolate. At the same time, those fans must recognize that some chocolates are rich and deeply satisfying and others merely bland and forgettable.

To follow through with this metaphor, consider Swell Henry, by Chris Speed's ensemble yeah NO, to be a large sampler box of incredibly expensive Swiss chocolates. This is jazz of the highest quality.

Each track can be savored on its own, as each is slightly different than the next. There are free-jazz pieces, along with slower, more traditional sounding pieces. There's a little bit of fusion and even a dub-influenced track. All succeed. There is not one bite you'll want to spit out, or to try and sneak back in the box. Whether you are in the mood for a little taste, or to take several in at once, you will doubtlessly enjoy the experience.

Just as chocolate is only as good as the ingredients that go into it, and the skill of those that craft it, so is Swell Henry a product of fine musicianship. This is truly an ensemble piece, as group playing is emphasized over solos, so as such, all members should be mentioned equally: Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet, Cuong Vu on trumpet, Skuli Sverrisson on bass and Jim Black on drums. There are no false moments, no rough spots, and no bad bites that make your face scrunch up in disapproval. The quality is consistent throughout every minute, every ounce of every piece.

Okay, so I've stretched this metaphor about as far as I can, right? Let's just sum up: Swell Henry is one sweet record.