Hughes Smith plays soprano, alto and tenor sax as he leads a team of Jimmy Smith/tp-ct-fh, Phil Kelly/p-key, Takashi Iio/b and Nate Winn/dr through a collection of originals that harken to vintage Herbie Hancock circa 60s Blue Note.
Hints of the classic album Maiden Voyage weave in and out of pieces such as “Elizabeth” and “Sidamo” as the horns float with rich harmonies over Winn’s caressing ride cymbal pulse. The team shows it’s hard bop chops with Kelly at the Rhodes on the muscular “Wanting Home” and the team gets funky on the soulful “The Runaround.”
The horn players are in hard bop heaven, as Smith swaggers on “Gig Fries” and Smith is richly muted on Rue” with both gents slinking together on “Intersections.” Vintage sounds modernized.