I really like both these guys, and I almost always like whatever alto saxist Dave Sanborn records. I just can’t put my finger on why this session with all stars like Bob James/p, James Genus/b and the indefatigable Steve Gadd/dr comes across as flat. Maybe it’s because Sanborn’s bright tone, perfectly suited for funky stuff written by Marcus Miller, or earthy blues as his session with Joey DeFrancesco, seems like peanut butter and jelly, melding perfectly together, while the mild mannered “You Better Not Go To College” or meandering “Geste Humain” feels a bit incongruous. A slinky take of “My Old Flame” has the bulb needing to be turned down a notch, while the percolating groove of “Montezuma” seems to have Sanborn overplaying his hand. Sanborn even tries his hands at the soprano and sopranino, but nothing he tries on fits well enough. The ideal finally gels well on James’ latin funk piece “Deep In The Weeds” but by then it just seems a bit too little too late.
Okeh Records
www.sonymasterworks.com