Alto saxophonist
Mike Dubaniewicz made his mark with the late
Maynard Ferguson's
Big Bop Nouveau Band, while he finally makes his debut as a leader with
Drive Time, a splendid mix of hard bop, bop, standards, originals, and even a piece from the Baroque period. Gifted with a rich, expressive tone and the ability to arrange familiar works in novel settings, the leader's core band includes an old friend, guitarist
Jeff Barone, and his next-door-neighbor, organist
Ron Oswanski, plus drummer
Vince Ector, with guests sprinkled in on individual numbers.
Dubaniewicz opens with an intricate workout of the late
Freddie Hubbard's "Hubtones," in which trumpeter Roger Lent adds a bit of extra fire.
Dubaniewicz spices up
Benny Golson's hip "Along Came Betty" with the inclusion of Latin percussionist
Samuel Torres. The stripped-down bossa nova treatment of "Just Friends" contrasts with the explosive romp through the bop favorite "Wee." The altoist shows his mastery in "Gigue" an excerpt of a longer work by
Johann Sebastian Bach, played as a duet with
Barone on acoustic guitar. The alto saxophonist's two originals were inspired by well-known jazz pieces: the engaging "20-20-11" by "Stablemates," and the breezy blues "Drive Time" evolved from "Jumpin at the Woodside." A fine debut by a promising player,
Mike Dubaniewicz will be one to watch. ~ Ken Dryden