Gifts and Givers

Saxophonist 's fifth effort as a leader sees him in tandem with fellow tenor man , but this is not a tenor battle a la and . A mainstream neo-bop modernist, presents seven selections that display his broad range of acumen, as a player, composer, and rearranger. , a slightly younger lion than and a leader in his own right, easily keeps pace with , and in a limited fashion matches the dynamics without sublimating his own voice. The choice of music is quite advanced, including 's The piece is a jam, with harmonic off-minor changes requiring teamwork from the front line and strong support from the rhythm section, provided in spades by rising star pianist and the excellent drummer . 's composition, plucked from the book, is as hip as it comes in 5/4 time, and approaching standard status. The bop evergreen is played with a definite twist, as a five-note vamp buoys the band to take off while playing the melody. You have to hear these tunes to appreciate their depth of perception and 's personalized voicings -- they're keepers. The remainder of the CD features a recapitulated tribute to , first found on 's debut CD; a revamped and extended version of which is more Brazilian and sensual than the original; and 's sweet, elongated the original version recorded for CD, but never released. Other aspects of these recordings bearing note are the Fender Rhodes sound of on select cuts, and electric guitarist 's dark, twitchy, pungent guitar heard throughout. , and pianist are all from Houston, and moving up quickly on the jazz food chain. has put out a small discography, nothing yet definitive, but this is very close to being his best so far. ~ Michael G. Nastos