Chasin' the Gypsy in Bloomington, MN

James Carter
celebrated 2000 by putting out two vastly different albums at the same time, an amazing concession from a major label for a jazz artist who doesn't sell in
Kenny G
-like proportions.
Chasin' the Gypsy
, as you might guess, is an homage to
Django Reinhardt
, whose music
Carter
used to dig on Detroit radio when he was a teenager, but
doesn't take the predictable reverent path in paying his respects. He rummages through his closet and pulls out a rarely used bass saxophone on three cuts -- the bumpy sounds are often comic yet a comfortable fit for his antic style -- and even tries out an F mezzo sax on the exotically relaxed
"Oriental Shuffle."
Back on tenor,
's slippery playing often doesn't hesitate to approach the outside; he keeps his sense of humor and his individual quirks intact. Most of the tunes are
Django
's yet the one that comes closest to evoking the frantic
Hot Club Quintette
drive is
's own title track, a madcap chase indeed with
on wild soprano sax this time. A nostalgic accordion underpins the tango-like
"Nuages"
a la
Piazzolla
; violinist
Regina Carter
provides the
Stephane Grappelli
-like foil on a few tracks (she does all right but could be a bit looser); and
Jay Berliner
and
Romero Lubambo
occasionally summon the ghost of
with their respectively steel and nylon-stringed solo and rhythm guitar work. Mostly, this is a delightful departure for
, though probably destined to be a one-off excursion. ~ Richard S. Ginell