Saxophonist
Jimmy Greene's fifth effort as a leader sees him in tandem with fellow tenor man
Marcus Strickland, but this is not a tenor battle à la
Gene Ammons and
Sonny Stitt. A mainstream neo-bop modernist,
Greene presents seven selections that display his broad range of acumen, as a player, composer, and rearranger.
Strickland, a slightly younger lion than
Greene and a leader in his own right, easily keeps pace with
Greene, and in a limited fashion matches the dynamics without sublimating his own voice. The choice of music is quite advanced, including
John Coltrane's "26-2,"
James Black's "Magnolia Triangle," and
Sonny Stitt's "Eternal Triangle." The
Coltrane piece is a jam, with harmonic off-minor changes requiring teamwork from the front line and strong support from the rhythm section, provided in spades by rising star pianist
Danny Grissett and the excellent drummer
Eric Harland.
Black's composition, plucked from the
Yusef Lateef book, is as hip as it comes in 5/4 time, and approaching standard status. The
Stitt bop evergreen is played with a definite twist, as a five-note vamp buoys the band to take off while playing the melody. You have to hear these tunes to appreciate their depth of perception and
Greene's personalized voicings -- they're keepers. The remainder of the CD features a recapitulated tribute to
Jackie McLean, "Mr. McLean," first found on
Greene's debut CD; a revamped and extended version of
Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa," which is more Brazilian and sensual than the original; and
Harry Connick, Jr.'s sweet, elongated "Greene Blues," the original version recorded for
Connick's
Chanson du Vieux Carre CD, but never released. Other aspects of these recordings bearing note are the Fender Rhodes sound of
Grissett on select cuts, and electric guitarist
Mike Moreno's dark, twitchy, pungent guitar heard throughout.
Moreno,
Grissett, and pianist
Robert Glasper are all from Houston, and moving up quickly on the jazz food chain.
Greene has put out a small discography, nothing yet definitive, but this is very close to being his best so far. ~ Michael G. Nastos