Gary Smulyan, a passionate baritone saxophonist whose main inspiration is
Pepper Adams, sounds at his best on this quintet set with trumpeter
Joe Magnarelli, pianist
Mike LeDonne, bassist
Dennis Irwin, and drummer
Kenny Washington. The music includes some hard-swinging straight-ahead romps and warm ballads. Among the highlights are
Pepper Adams' "Cindy's Tune" (a tricky line written over the chord changes of "Honeysuckle Rose"), the obscure "Satan (Wears a Satin Gown)," "Young Afro Brown" (based on "Sweet Georgia Brown"), "All My Life," and the slow blues "Sassy Missy." This superior hard bop set serves as a perfect introduction to the playing of
Gary Smulyan. ~ Scott Yanow