Ever since he first began to be noticed in 1992, has developed into one of the giants of the tenor sax. He is not an trailblazer; nor are there scores of saxophonists who sound like his clones. But has developed his own sound within the areas of to ; he gives the impression that he can sound confident and very credible in any setting, and he has yet to make an unworthy recording. He has led at least 20 CD recordings since his emergence, with being one of his best. The middle of the CD, where performs a lyrical version of and a hard-swinging features some of his finest playing. Four selections add the fiery trumpet of , who is a particularly suitable match with . Pianist sounds inspired throughout this outing and bassist and drummer are stimulating and supportive. But the main star is , a brilliant improviser who deserves much more recognition for invigorating 's modern mainstream. ~ Scott Yanow