Here’s a Blue Plate Special of mainstream jazz that will stick to your ribs. Venerable vets Eric Alexander/ts, Jim Rotondi/tp, Steve Davis/tb all boast strong and muscular sounds, and they don’t disappoint as they are driven by the wagon train rhythm section of “David Hazeltine/p, John Webber/b and Joe Farnsworth/dr on this collection of accessible originals.
The grooves are easy and bluesy as Davis slides safely into third on “Easy” and Rotondi gives a big fat sound on the bouncing “Ruth.” Alexander’s tenor fills the room like a London Fog along with Hazeltine’s gorgeous piano on the lovely “Ghost Ride,” while the two flex their biceps on the dramatic “Frenzy.” The rhythm team snaps like a whip on “K-Ray” and sizzles during the minor blues “For Curtis” and can even boogaloo on the infectious “Babataytay.” Hazeltine glows in the dark on the only cover, a swooning “It’s Easy To Remember,” making class and style sound easy; trust me, it ain’t.
Smoke Sessions Records