Alto saxist Will Vinson does some creative mixing and matching with pianists in a series of quartet and duet settings. The pianists are a formidable collection, featuring Fred Hersch, Geral Clayton, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Sullivan Fortner and Tigran Hamasyan, with the bassists Matt Brewer, Matt Penman, Larry Grenadier and Rick Rosato cutting and pasting with drummers Eric Harland, Jochen Rueckert, Clarence Penn, Billy Hart and Obed Calvaire.
Let’s do the duet first; with Vinson in a breathy intimate setting with Rubalcaba on a deep “The Wy To You” with the only other major difference being when Vinson switches to soprano for a quartet setting on a gentle and wondrous “KW” with Hersch at the helm and also toying with the Monk them rilliantly on the bouncy and fun “Work” with Vinson back on alto. Hamasyan is in full hand form on “Ban Street” gentle on the classy and soulful “Oasis” whereas Clayton is relaxed and bluesy to Vinson’s sighs on “I Am James Bond” and languid with Brewer and Penn in tow for “Cherry Time”. The various milieu make for fascinating comparisons without a stitch being dropped throughout the whole tapestry. Wondrously artful.