California-born saxophonist
Jim Snidero's sophomore release as leader, 1987's
Mixed Bag, is a buoyant, bluesy date featuring former
Art Blakey Jazz Messenger, trumpeter
Brian Lynch. Backing the future jazz titans is a stellar backing ensemble including pianist
Benny Green, bassist
Peter Washington, and
Wynton Marsalis-associate, drummer
Jeff "Tain" Watts. Ostensibly a blowing session much in the vein of the classic Blue Note albums of the '60s,
Mixed Bag is swinging, high-energy album that moves pleasantly from originals to standards. Although still in their youthful ascension at the time of recording, both
Snidero and
Lynch (as well as all the group members here), reveal their fluid mastery of the straight-ahead, post-bop jazz idiom. ~ Matt Collar