Saxophonist
Don Braden
leads a sextet on this unusual outing. Together with alto saxophonist
Vincent Herring
, trumpeter
Terell Stafford
, pianist
George Colligan
, bassist
Richie Goods
, and drummer
Ralph Peterson
,
Braden
reinterprets contemporary standards -- i.e.,
pop
songs -- in a
jazz
vein, much like
Herbie Hancock
did on his 1995 album
The New Standard
. Four of the tracks, however, are band originals, three by
, one by
Goods
. The reworked
material includes
"The Closer I Get to You"
by
Donny Hathaway
"Feel Like Making Love"
Roberta Flack
"Overjoyed"
Stevie Wonder
, and, most ambitiously,
"Kid Charlemagne"
Steely Dan
, which works quite well as a swinging improv vehicle. There's a sugary aspect to the
Hathaway
song, and yet
's three-horn harmonies enhance the undeniably beautiful melody. And
is played at a slow, bluesy tempo, giving it a bawdy flavor.
's pieces are strong, particularly the
Joe Henderson
-esque
"Dance of the One"
;
' lilting
"Nandhi"
features nice flugelhorn work from
Stafford
.
Colligan
's solos are unfailingly on target. These players are strong leaders in their own right, so the level of musicianship is very high. ~ David R. Adler