Do you know how good it feels to review a straightahead jazz disc of originals and covers after listening to everything from avant garde to angst indie to cacophony to navel gazing? This is what got me excited about jazz in the first place: a group of guys that know how to swing a melody, deliver some (but not ad infinitum) creative choruses, and show what you’ve got in terms of chops, style and substance. Trombonist Clifton Anderson, alumnus of the Sonny Rollins school of band playing, teams up with the likes of Monty Alexander-Jeff “Tain” Watts/dr, Bob Cranshaw/b and guests like Kenny Garrett and Wallace Roney to put together a hard bopper’s dream.
In the quartet format, Anderson delivers a wondrous reading of “Falling In Love with Love” and his own “Remember This,” while he delivers the exciting title trackwith Garrett on soprano, Warren Wolf on vibes and Donald Vega’s glorious piano. The melding of brass on “Where or When” with Roney shines like an autumn sunset, while “Bacalou Tonight” boils over with percussive ecstasy. All throughout, Anderson’s horn glistens, and his timing and delivery is that of a Downtown LA diamond cutter. Excellent outing.
Daywood Drive Records