Home at Last

The Seattle-based label continues its noble venture to bring as many of the performers from the Northwest's bustling, burgeoning scene to a wider audience. This time the label has teamed erstwhile soprano/tenor saxophone player with one of the area's more active groups, . Made up of , , and , the trio gives its utmost support to on a program of and classic . This is not an album of four-minutes-and-out tracks. Each tune gets a full melodic and treatment, with the sax player and the trio operating on the basis of a full and open exchange of interpretive ideas. The get-go tune, where both and play off the whirling drumming of , portends a session of more than an hour of highly listenable . The rapport among the players is enhanced by the fact that the session was recorded live in the studio. Done over two days, some of the play list was decided on the spot, increasing the chances of inspirational, innovative performances, which is what listeners get. There's no fixin' in the mixin', which these days is too often used to cover the missteps of the participants. All the trio members, especially , listen closely and -- equally as important -- understand the direction is taking on each cut. ' sparkling solo in answer to the sax player's probing solo on is an example of this interactive sensitivity. At the same time, can set the pattern for a track, as he opens for on a deeply felt The veteran sax player hasn't lost a step, as conclusively demonstrated on this highly recommended effort. ~ Dave Nathan