Saxology
Henri Elkan, 2023
8/10
The New York City composer, arranger and scholar Wayne Alpern is as prolific as he is impressive, and this time around he brings us 18 straight forward jazz tunes that make great use of the New York Saxophone Quartet.
“All The Things You Are” opens the listen with the brass harmonizing with much grace and adventurous that’s quite fluid, and it isn’t long until the indeed rhythmic “Fascinating Rhythm” allows each of the 4 players to display their respective strengths with a bright delivery.
Further along, the intimate and lush “Lonely Goatherd” makes for a reflective mood, while “Moten Swing” will get your body moving to the animated textures of the dynamic sax interaction.
Close to the end, the soothing “Turn Out The Stars” blends the brass with a unique dreaminess, and “When I’m Sixty-Four” exits with a bit of an old time feel that’s upbeat and nostaglic.
The saxophonists on hand include Steven Kenyon (soprano), Todd Groves (alto), Dave Noland (tenor) and John Winder (baritone), and together under Alpern’s vision they illustrate the many different dimensions of the saxophone with an inimitable attention to detail.
Travels well with: David Larsen- The Peplowski Project; Jeff Richman- XYZ