The Tesla coil that the Vandermark 5 has become seems beyond built to last; the creative whole constantly outweighs the sum of the parts in this quintet. At their best, each player knows their strengths & respective place, and manages to put aside ego for the advancement the group"s collective goals. Each album in the V5"s discography has been captivating, tuneful, muscular & focused; but Acoustic Machine, their annual installment for 2001, is likely their most distilled effort yet. Bishop, Kessler, Mulvenna, Rempis and Vandermark continue to grow as a quintet and as individuals, by somehow simultaneously honing and widening their purview.