NICK BEWSEY ★=SKIP IT; ★★=MEDIOCRE; ★★★=GOOD; ★★★★=EXCELLENT; ★★★★★=CLASSIC
song named after the gentle bear of a bartender at Bar 55 in New York’s West Village, the Tyner-inspired runs by Gonzalez on “Kirby” flow with good feeling, a sentiment that runs throughout Killian’s work. As a player, Killian seems destined to join the ranks of jazz greats, but you don’t need to be a jazz critic to appreciate how good Killian is. When I reviewed Unified, I called Killian “a force to reckon with,” and the music and playing on this current collection continues to show that Killian is a saxophonist and composer who’s going places. (7 tracks; 42 minutes) Bob James/David Sanborn ★★★★ Quartette Humaine Okeh/Sony Masterworks
arrangements provide the group with a generous amount of harmonious interplay; particularly pianist Ryan Cohan who impresses with his beefy way with the keys and often brings a Ramsey Lewis feel to his solos. Whether or not Locke is signaling what’s to come on “Volume 2,” the CD closes with a heartfelt rendering of “Dedicated To You,” evoking Coltrane/Hartman while achieving its own level of transcendence. (9 tracks; 54 minutes) Stan Killian ★★★★1/2 Evoke Sunnyside
In 2013, pianist/keyboardist Bob James and alto saxophonist David Sanborn are likely to be considered contemporary jazz royalty since their respective careers helped usher in the smooth jazz trend. James has fashioned an exceptional career as solo artist, producer (Paul Simon, Kenny Loggins) and mentor (Kirk Whalum) and currently gets his groove on making music as part of the remarkably durable smooth jazz super group, Fourplay. Sanborn has released 24 albums of his own and won six Grammy Awards, one of which was the huge selling collaboration with James, the slick and soulful Double Vision (1986, Warner Bros.) that also featured star turns by Al Jarreau and Marcus Miller (“Maputo”). Fast forward to present day and the re-animated Okeh label, which took the opportunity to reunite James and Sanborn, inviting them to rekindle the fire that burned so brightly back in the day. To their credit they didn’t take the easy route and, instead, defy all expectations with Quartette Humaine, an all-acoustic program featuring Double Vision’s original drummer, the illustrious Steve Gadd, and bassist James Genus.
It’s easy to lean on hyperbole to describe saxophonist Stan Killian, a musician with a keen ear whose originality and strength as a leader is evident throughout Evoke, his fourth release of self-penned material. You can trace Killian’s sound back to the glory days of 1960s Blue Note and the exuberant records by Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon that must have made an impact on the saxophonist. We know from his bio that Killian grew up in a jazz household—his father, jazz pianist Joe Killian took his son to his many gigs and later played on his first recordings. A breakout on the NY jazz club scene, Killian retains the sleek rhythm team of Venezue-
lan pianist Benito Gonzalez, bassist Corcoran Holt and drummer McClenty Hunter that made his 2011 effort Unified so gratifying. Killian adds VIP jazz guitarist Mike Moreno to the line-up and as a band, they make a formidable quintet that fuels this dazzling—and swinging—post bop collection of seven tunes with the perfect amount of go power. The tunes themselves (there’s not a weak track in the bunch) are progressive yet earthy, and Killian promotes eager interplay between his band mates, especially Moreno and Gonzalez whose tasty licks and chord changes respectively yield some of the album’s best moments. For a
Can two smooth jazz veterans make challenging, gutsy music together? Absolutely, yes, and right from the start of James’ delightful “You Better Not Go To College,” you know this won’t be a nostalgic retread. James and Sanborn achieve a live, in-studio sound—polished, for sure—but the original tracks, four by James and three by Sanborn, leave the door open for atonalities and a few knots (Sanborn performs much further “outside” than what you’re accustomed to hearing; his sound tart and pitched.) James’ uncanny ability for memorable songwriting makes tunes like “Montezuma,” the classical-tinged “Follow Me” and “Deep In The Weeds” swing with straight-ahead heft. The quartet injects “Geste Humain” by French singer/songwriter Alice Soyer with a mysterious, poetic beauty. And it’s especially great to hear Gadd again in context with these musicians. Genus, who has collaborated with James on his other acoustic projects, lays down bass lines with polished efficiency, at once soulful and grounding. Produced in part as a tribute to Dave Brubeck and with the spirit of Paul Desmond floating above, it sounds as if James and Sanborn finally got a chance to make a record their way, and its success rests squarely on the superb four-way dynamic the quartet affectionately shares. (9 tracks; 54 minutes) ■
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