For this potentially intriguing outing, altoist
Dylan Cramer performs 11 songs that he enjoys, regardless of their idiom.
Cramer and his quartet are featured on a pair of
Wes Montgomery tunes, two movie themes, Carl Perkins' "Groove Yard," and numbers by
Santana,
Antonio Carlos Jobim, and
Stevie Wonder. Some of the music is easy listening with Ron Johnston's synthesizer creating a background for
Dylan Cramer's alto. Some of the other songs have more energy and
Cramer does a nice job on "Triste," a soulful "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," and "Full House." However there are too many very safe ballads,
Cramer's alto is not overly distinctive, and the rhythm section, while doing its job well, does not stand out. The music overall is pleasing if not essential. ~ Scott Yanow