But later in the year he did it again.

Late in 2000, Knitting Factory (www.knittingfactory.com) released Cuong Vu's sophomore effort, {Pure}. This time around, Vu takes an even more experimental step. He in joined by drummer John Hollenbeck and bassist Stomu Takeishi.

On the album's opener, "Faith," Vu combines the spacey muted horn of Miles Davis heard on the seminal {Bitches' Brew} with deep, thundering tribal drum rhythms for a result that can't be compared with anything recorded in recent years.

"Vina, All Grown Up" wanders into fields of pure ambient textures by the five-minute mark. On "Pitter-Patter," Vu remains on the fringe while Takeishi and Hollenbeck funk things up. It comes across like an updated, avant garde version of Herbie Hancock's {Head Hunters}.

Perhaps the most experimental track is the subtle, yet dark, "I Shall Never Come Back." It starts off very softly and moves into a dark, driving, and disturbing hodgepodge of sounds. It manages to avoid sounding sloppy and confusing and gives us a view of what the future of funk-jazz may sound like.

The album closes out nicely with the title track, which isn't as moving as earlier pieces, but provides a satisfyingly haunting ending to this emotional disc.

{Pure} is a gorgeous album. But it's clear that it's also very personal. This kind of intimacy can sometimes result in music that isn't far-reaching or widely accepted. But I have a feeling that by avoiding major labels for his first two albums, airplay on a Lite Jazz station probably isn't what this young artist is looking for.

Cuong Vu is to modern avant garde jazz what DJ Spooky is to electronica: an important, intelligent, esoteric voice that will not be silenced by so-called purists or defenders of the status quo. And considering he's not yet 30, I'm quite sure we'll hear plenty more exciting and innovative music from Cuong Vu in the coming years.