You’ve got to admit that it gets your attention when an album touts itself as including “jazz all stars”. So, who are these “All Stars” these days? Well, you get a pretty impressive team with saxists Rick Margitza and Ralph Moore, trumpeters Terell Stafford and Wayne Bergeron, keyboardists Bill Cunliffe or John Beasley, John Patitucci or Chris Colangelo on bass, guitarist Jake Langley, Alex Acuna doing percussion and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Marvin “Smitty” Smith or Joe LaBarbara keeping the beat. Not a bad lineup!
Acuna is in great form with some Grant Greenish work by Langley on the Afro Cuban “Theme for FLOTUS” with a trio read of “Afro Blue” simmering like a sauce around Patitucci’s solo. A soul gospel groove is produced on “Log Jammin’” with Margitza preaching like Hank Crawford, while a read of the chestnut “Avalon” gently saunters to Moore’s tenor. You can feel the authority on each beat.