Ruby in Bloomington, MN

Tony Coe
has long been one of Great Britain's finest saxophonists, a versatile musician able to play quite credibly in idioms ranging from swing and hard bop to the avant-garde. This release from the English Zah Zah label finds
Coe
(who switches between tenor, clarinet and soprano) revisting his roots by performing melodic interpretations of standards including a couple of originals that are based on the chords of veteran songs.
, who is joined by pianist
Brian Dee
, bassist
Matt Miles
and drummer
Steve Arguelles
, is often reminiscent of
Paul Gonsalves
on tenor, plays soprano in tune and has an appealing tone in all the ranges of his clarinet. Although a very fluid player, he mostly sounds quite relaxed and thoughtful during the performances. Among the more notable tracks on
"My Shining Hour,"
"More Than You Know" (a clarinet-piano duet), "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Some Other Autumn" (based on "Autumn Leaves"). There are a few heated moments but overall this is a relaxed set that mostly shows off the warmth of
. ~ Scott Yanow