On this enjoyable set, veteran tenor saxophonist
Benny Golson pays tribute to nine other tenors:
Lester Young,
Coleman Hawkins,
Sonny Rollins,
Dexter Gordon,
John Coltrane,
Stan Getz,
Zoot Sims,
Ben Webster, and
Don Byas. On "Body & Soul,"
Branford Marsalis joins
Golson, three songs have
James Carter making the quartet a two-tenor quintet,
Harold Ashby is on four others, "Lester Leaps In" has
Golson interacting with both
Carter and
Ashby, and
Golson is the only tenor on the closing "In Memory Of." While each of the saxophonists is in fine form,
Carter's fiery style is a perfect contrast to
Golson's cooler but explorative playing. With pianist
Geoff Keezer, bassist
Dwayne Burno, and drummer
Joe Farnsworth swinging the tunes (all but "In Memory Of" are standards),
Golson sounds quite inspired by the settings. This is one of his strongest all-round sessions of the 1990s. ~ Scott Yanow