His originals recall the classic sounds of pre-war France, but avoid the trap of imitative kitsch that plagues the contemporary jazz world.   In the sense of sheer shred, Charlottesville's Olivarez is to Django Reinhardt as Yngwie Malmsteen was to Eddie van Halen.  But while the paragons of rock-metal speed guitar can be justly criticized for compensating for sadly deficient finesse and style with technical mastery, Rick Olivarez maintains a laid-back, yet dramatic and almost lyrical sensitivity as he delivers strikingly sharp arpeggios, leads that would make Dragon Force stop in their tracks, and delicate yet frighteningly fast fills for hours on end.   

                 One would expect a band billed as Rick Olivarez Trio to perform with three musicians; and, indeed, the extremely tight communication between rhythm guitarist Jeff Cheers and Olivarez was punctuated by smoothly executed upright bass at their debut engagement for Gillie's Late Night Stage.  Most recently, however, the two guitars were the whole of the act despite trio billing.   Although previously the bass was pleasing enough to hear, the two guitarists provided plenty of entertainment for the small crowd that made it out to enjoy the fine musicianship; in fact, their striking ability to play with nearly telepathic unity was emphasized by the smaller band.  

                 Throughout the set, Jeff Cheers’ rhythm guitar maintained a fairly understated but not entirely static foundation for Olivarez's precise phrasing, providing canonical jazz progressions and repetitive but lively rhythms.  Stops and rhythm changes were so tight that it would be easy to assume that Cheers and Olivarez have been playing this set night and day for years.  However, the elated and self-satisfied smile on Olivarez's face at the conclusion of several of the most challenging pieces revealed that the musicians were having genuine fun playing and appreciating the tunes they shared.  Moreover, between songs towards the end of the set, Olivarez and Cheers consulted with each other for a few seconds, looking periodically at a set list on the floor, clearly make decisions on the fly about how the set should proceed.  While typically between-song noodling is quite a distraction, suggesting a lack of professionalism at best and often ruining a show entirely, when Cheers briefly showed off his lead-guitar prowess between sets towards the conclusion of the show, it simply underscored the incredible talent that he was there to support.

                 Olivarez and Cheers' music really could not be more appropriate to the casual yet classy down-home environment of Gillie's, and for the fan of swinging gypsy jazz guitar, their presence was at least as delicious as the food.  Often the acoustics in Gillie's leave a bit to be desired, leaving the musicians the awkward choice to hide behind the dinner-crowd noise, or to try to drown it out with uncomfortably loud amplification, but the relaxing sounds and flawless tone of Olivarez and Cheers were easily appreciated at a louder volume without becoming over-bearing.  There was a pleasant mixture of table-centered conversations and attentive music appreciation.

                 Returning to Charlottesville for a weekly Sunday morning brunch show, Olivarez and Cheers were doubtlessly glad that Gillie's closes around 10:00 on Saturdays, but it was easy to wish for more when the set came to its conclusion just about 9:30.