Tenor saxist Ted Brown shows that he’s imbibed deeply from the Lester Young waters on this swinging recording from a 2006 gig at trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ. Brown’s tone is breathy, soft and serenely behind the beat, cool enough to sound like a tenor version of early Lee Konitz as he croons through nine standards with Jon Easton/p, Don Messina/b and Bill Chattin/dr. Brown displays his be-bopper bona fides as he slithers through red meat such as Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology “ and a lithely pulsating “Relaxin’ At Camarillo.” He sighs with delight on a laconic “Pennies From Heaven” and floats to Easton’s piano during “Sweet and Lovely” while the sideman adds some rich soloing on the Basie warhorse “Broadway,” and Chattin makes his brushes and sticks sound like Astaire flying off to Rio on “The Best Thing For You Would Be Me” and Messina throws in a nimble solo on the breathy “Love Me Or Leave Me.”
Brown reminds the listening audience how a tenor sax is not only supposed to sound, but how it’s to be delivered, with every solo a song in itself and not an opportunity for cacophony. This is a gem!