Trumpeter
Bobby Shew and saxophonist Gary Foster helm this collection of straight-ahead modern jazz featuring the compositions of Reed Kotler. Kotler, a Bay Area native and protégé of pianist/composer Don Haas, writes in an engaging and often moody style not unlike
Bill Evans. There is also more than a hint of the classic West Coast sound redolent of the jazz that came out of L.A. in the 1950s. In fact,
Shew's burnished and mellow trumpet sound combined with Foster's soulful interplay may remind some of the classic 1956 pairing of
Chet Baker and
Art Pepper, Playboys. Backed up thoughtfully by pianist
Bill Cunliffe, drummer Paul Kreibich, and bassist
Darek "Oles" Oleszkiewicz, the group is ideally suited to such notable songs as the lithe and pretty "Jenny" as well as the cool bopper "Coop." While never dazzling or fiery, this double-disc set is full of truly gorgeous music that deserves a wider audience. ~ Matt Collar