Robby Ameen is one of those first call percussionists who has been chafing at the bit to produce something all his own. Now he has his chance, with Days in the Life and he acquits himself with excellence. Things might have very well gone awry, as so often happens when self producing a first record. This, however, does not happen with Ameen, as he is careful to avoid the obvious at all costs. The percussionist is well known for his ability to slip into almost any kind of rhythmic mode, from samba to clave to swing. He does just that and then some. Ameen soaks it all in and, as it percolates in his percussion brain, he channels it out through his arms and fingers into a mix of rhythms that comes alive with surprises at almost every turn.

It seems that the prime directive of the music is to dance madly as someone on hot coals or a tightrope or a trampoline. There is never a dearth of surprise in anything that Ameen does—alone, or in conjunction with bandmates such as guitarist