Always in the top tier of baritone saxists, Gary Smulyan joins in with the hard hitting team of Bob Summers/tp Don Shelton/as-af, Jerry Pinter/ts-ss and Dave Woodley/tb to create a swinging front line for the hard bopping rhythm section of Ed Czach/p, Putter Smith/b and Kendall Kay/dr. The octet takes on songs from the pen of composer Alec Wilder, whose sophisticated pieces have been interpreted by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Cab Calloway.
Here, the hep cat horns create a rich texture, with Summers out in front on the crisp “Don’t Deny” while Woodley is lyrical over the waltzing “Ellen”. Smulyan’s bari is in rich form on the easy pace of “You’re Free” and wrestles with Kay on the muscular “Lovers and Losers”. The horns take you to Noir Alley with Shelton’s flute wafting on “Night Talk” and the team is cool on “I Like It Here.” Vintage sounds and shadows.