It used to be that a sax trio was the top of Sisyphus’ hill for jazz musicians, but these days they are almost as common as a standard quartet. Tenor saxist Dann Zinn ups the ante by fronting a piano/bass-less team with Peter Erskine/dr and Chris Robinson/g.
He’s got a thick and strong sound on the horn, able to keep it melodic on the gentle canter of “Daydreams” as well as the funky boogaloo of “Voodoo.” Erskine keeps things moving along with his ride cymbal holding the reigns on on Zinn’s staccato during “Fain” while “The Bullfighter” is a bolero filled with macho drama. On flute, Zinn crates some cozy moods with Robinson’s ukulele during “Good Riddance” while the guitarist goes for funky licks on ”Tic Tac Toe.” Everyone gets lyrical on a reading of “Brahms’ 3rd Symphony, 3rd Movement” and a rich rubato has Zinn’s sax filling the ears with wonder. Impressive and varied.