There’s good reason that this album is subtitled “The Wailing Sounds of…” as tenor saxist Rick Ford has a delivery of a Baptist preacher. The alumnus from the University of Charles Mingus is joined by Barry Altschul/dr, Jerome Harris/b and Mark Soskin/p for a full bodied delivery of pieces ranging from a bel canto aria like “Angel Face” and “Frustration” to gut bucket growlers like “The Wonder”. His tone is like dark smoke rings on “Ricky’s Bossa” and rides over ALtschul’s cracking whip on “Stockholm Stomp”. As far as bopping goes, he skips like a stone on Lake Superior on ‘Paul’s Scene” and calypso’s like Chubby Checker on “Paris Fringe”. It’s artists like this that make you remember how a tenor sax is supposed to sound, after getting used to anemic reeds for so many years.