I’m not sure why it took 12 years for this album by Claire Daly to get released, but it sure is a timeless treat. She plays a rich and dark 80% chocolate (‘straight’) baritone sax as well as a frothy flute, even singing a dash as she’s teamed with pianist Eli Yamin, bassist Dave Hofstra and drummer Peter Grant. She mixes originals a couple standards with a heaping handful of tunes from the pen of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and the mixture works well here.
On baritone, Daly is cool and relaxed with Yamin’s fingers gracing the ivories on a her sublime “Blue Lady” and a supple “I’ll Be Seeing You” while bopping to Frank Foster’s “Simone” and hip to the hep on Charlie Parker’s more obscure “Blues For Alice” . Her voice works well with Yamin on the endearing read of “Alfie” and while on flute does an artsy mix with Hofstra on Kirk’s “Volunteered Slavery” teamed with Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” of all things, and it works! She waltzes with Grant on her Momentus Brighticus” and gets bluesy on “Theme For The Eulipions”. Casual and classy.