On
Almost Modern, which is subtitled "The Swing to Bop Project," tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Dan Block revives music from the period of time when swing was gradually being replaced by bop. Most of the selections on this CD are from 1944-1947. Block's group with trumpeter
Jon-Eric Kellso sometimes pays direct tribute to the
Coleman Hawkins 1945 Quintet which featured trumpeter
Howard McGhee and pianist
Sir Charles Thompson. Even the more boppish pieces such as "I Mean You" and "Dizzy Atmosphere" are played with a swing sensibility. Block has a tone somewhere between
Coleman Hawkins and
Lester Young and a style that perfectly fits these pieces while
Kellso slightly modernizes his approach. The rhythm section swings,
Larry Ham mixes together
Count Basie and
Bud Powell, and guitarist
Chris Flory (replaced by Jon Hart on "Ko Ko") takes his share of
Charlie Christian-inspired solos. The music pays homage to the past but is creative within the older transitional style. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow