Shades of Brown in Bloomington, MN

Although nearing his 80th birthday by the time this early-2007 session was issued near the end of the same year, tenor saxophonist
Ted Brown
hasn't recorded extensively as a leader. A onetime student of
Lennie Tristano
, he mastered the pianist's intricate reworkings of standards, though he eventually returned to a more straight-ahead approach to his instrument, becoming a descendant of
Lester Young
's playing style. With support from guitarist
Steve Lamattina
(making one of his first appearances on a widely distributed jazz CD) and veteran bassist
Dennis Irwin
,
Brown
possesses a light tone and consistently swings in these cool performances, with the rhythm section also playing at a low volume level, making for a relaxing date. Yet,
is very much his own man and not a "repeating pencil" trying to re-create
Young
's work, much like
Zoot Sims
Al Cohn
, and other cool-toned saxophonists who paid their dues during the 1950s. There isn't a piece on the session that's less than a half-century old, but
and his mates make each of them sound fresh.
"Cherokee,"
"This Can't Be Love,"
and
"You Go to My Head"
are just a few of the highlights of this rewarding CD. ~ Ken Dryden