Bud Shank assembled a pianoless sextet made up of West Coast musicians for this 1993 studio date, including a front line consisting of the alto saxophonist and leader with trumpeter
Conte Candoli, tenor and soprano saxophonist
Bill Perkins, baritone saxophonist
Jack Nimitz, and a rhythm section that includes bassist and composer
John Clayton and drummer
Sherman Ferguson. The playing is crisp, the ensembles are a joy to hear, and the solos are consistently adventurous. "Port Townsend" is a lively post-bop vehicle that opens the session, featuring a strong solo by
Candoli. The leader contributed the somewhat exotic "Perkolator" (a feature for
Perkins' soprano sax) and the pretty ballad "Linda." But it is
Clayton's charts that threaten to steal the show, including the strutting "Alternate Root," the bittersweet "Let Me Tell You Why," which has some almost mournful solos by
Shank, and the funky blues "Funcused Blues." There are also impressive performances of jazz standards by
Thelonious Monk and
Benny Golson. Unfortunately, this CD was deleted with the demise of the initial revival of the Candid label.