Surrounded by the brilliant musical family who have centered his band for years—bassist Rodney Whitaker, pianist Rick Roe and drummer Quincy Davis—guitarist Randy Napoleon calls back four of his fleet-fingered, virtuoso former guitar students to share the stage and build up something new for this ambitious album, his 10th as a leader. Centered on compositions from the prolific Gregg Hill, along with several of his own, he arranged each for this 5-guitar choir of musicians, all connected through years of Napoleon's mentorship, each fully evolved in their own artistry. Whether adding other-worldly harmonic density, lush string-like backgrounds, subtle counter melodies or cascading rhythmic intrigue, Waking Dream comes across as a one-of-a-kind sonic experience, while still in the mainstream of modern jazz recordings.