Soprano saxist Rob Reddy brings up to date the music, sound and feel of one jazz’s founding father, Sidney Bechet. Mixing Bechet’s material with his own, and using what seems to be an unorthodox collection of musicians in John Carlson/tp, Curtis Fowlkes/tb, Marvin Sewell/g, Pheeroan Aklaff/dr, Marika Hughes/cel and Chrles Burnham/vi, Reddy emphasizes a freer form than Bechet, while still retaining the celebration of swing.
His tone has less vibrato than the elder (who DOESN’T?!?) and lets violinist Burnham team up on the famed “Petite Fleur” which is quite impressionistic here. Reddy’s own dirge-like “Erasing Statues” includes moaning horns, while more of a “hot jazz” feel is palpable on Reddy’s “Up-South” an d”Broken Windmill” really takes you back to New Orleans (or Paris) with the addition of Oscar Noriega’s lithe clarinet whistling down the boulevard. Free and fun.
Reddy Music