The jazz sextet
Planet Jazz (no relation to the club/dance band that used the same name) was founded by drummer Johnny Ellis, who contributed several of the compositions heard on this CD but died in 1999, long before the recording session. This strong bop-oriented group is fronted by tenor saxophonist
Grant Stewart and trumpeter/flügelhornist
Joe Magnarelli, with pianist
Spike Wilner, guitarist
Peter Bernstein, bassist
Neal Miner, and drummer Joe Strasser.
Stewart and
Magnarelli kick each other into high gear trading fours in Ellis' lively "Buttermoose." Another Ellis work, "The Cow Is Now," is a slightly quirky jazz waltz. Their choice of
Charlie Shavers' neglected "Dawn on the Desert" is inspired, with
Wilner giving it a Latin flavor and adding a slightly ominous tinge. He also scored
Hampton Hawes' "Sonora," which fuels some of the most inspired solos of the date, accompanied by a breezy Latin backbeat.
Duke Ellington and
Billy Strayhorn composed "Dual Highway" as a blues vehicle for alto sax great
Johnny Hodges, though their recording wasn't issued until well after the deaths of all three musicians.
Planet Jazz do a nice job utilizing this unjust obscurity as a feature for each member in turn. It's too bad that Johnny Ellis didn't live long enough to witness this impressive session. ~ Ken Dryden