His name may be hard to pronounce yet Greek born / NYC based musician Glafkos Kontemeniotis has made an album of quite easy on the ears jazz. Featuring eleven tracks, Yugen is a fine showcase for Glafkos and his band, including fine players like Joel Frahm (sax), Marcus McLaurine (bass), Dave Meade (drums) and other players who guest. Informative liner notes are penned by Alexander Gagatis, who also adds vibes on four tracks. Perhaps the accessibility of the music can be partly attributed to the tastefully recorded acoustic piano sound of Glafkos, who expertly merges jazz, traditional music and classical styles into a free form, straight ahead jazz formula. A fine choice for fans of the CD format, the album not only sounds good but also features fine packaging along with the in-depth liner notes. A well-produced straight-ahead set of instrumentals with a definite New York kind of vibe, contemporary jazz doesn’t get a whole lot better than Yugen, by pianist / composer Glafkos Kontemeniotis.