Volume two of
Steeplechase
's
Inside Chicago
series again features trumpeter
Brad Goode
in the company of the underrated tenor sax legend
Von Freeman
. Pianist
Joan Hickey
, bassist
Sherman Davis
, and drummer
Michael Raynor
make up the rhythm section. Recorded over two nights in 1995, this record, like the first, is about old-school blowing. The quintet starts out with a blisteringly fast
"Anthropology."
At seven and a half minutes, it's the shortest track by far (
Hickey
doesn't solo). Next is
Freeman
's slow-and-low
"Blues for Sunnyland Slim"
(
shouts, "dim the lights, baby!"), followed by rousing renditions of
"Oleo,"
"Caravan,"
and
"Yardbird Suite."
The repertoire may be commonplace and even a bit repetitive (
"Anthropology"
"Oleo"
are both up-tempo rhythm changes in B flat), but the improvisation is often a delight -- not to mention a testament to the continuing vitality of
, one of
bebop
's original greats. ~ David R. Adler