Even on a single recording, you never know where Milwaukee composer-guitarist Jason Seed is going next. In his fourth album, The Escapist, he reassembles his “stringtet” from members of the Chicago and Milwaukee symphony orchestras for 13 tracks notable for their gentle introspection and innovation. A talented improviser, Seed is solidly in the composer role here, creating melodies and textures that seem inspired by late Brahms or Faure, with overtones of lyrical jazz and samba. But he breaks into the 21^st century with the occasional off-kilter meter and even a touch of bottleneck blues. Seed draws from all that he knows, crafting a lyricism that’s both soothing and vital. The Jason Seed Stringtet performs Oct. 20 at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

- Paul Kosidowski, Milwaukee Magazine, October 2011