So many songs from
George Gershwin's folk opera
Porgy & Bess have become standards that jazz fans likely take them for granted. But
Mark Masters' large ensemble arrangements of selections from this work are anything but typical. "Summertime" showcases virtuoso solos connected by often wild interludes in a post-bop setting frequently marked by changes in tempo. "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" suggests a throwback to the era of
Duke Ellington and
Count Basie, but with a modern flavor. Tenor saxophonist
Billy Harper and
Tim Hagans (on muted trumpet) shine in "Gone, Gone, Gone," in a chart which alternates between a mournful air with lush backgrounds and an avant-garde fury. "It Ain't Necessarily So" has a swaggering flavor with almost vocal-like solos. Also groundbreaking is the leader's inventive scoring of "I Loves You, Porgy," featuring baritone saxophonist
Gary Smulyan, Don Shelton on alto flute, along with
Hagans and
Harper. This CD should be considered one of the landmark interpretations of
Porgy & Bess to come along since
Gil Evans' famous recording with
Miles Davis decades earlier. ~ Ken Dryden