Le Coq records reminds me of the old days of Blue Note, when an artistic family shared albums and were passed around to each other for various sessions. This latest album has a whole collection mixed and matched, including but not limited to John Patitucci/b, Chris Olangelo-Ben Williams-Bill Cunliffe/p, Martin “Smitty” Smith-Terreon Gully-Vinnie Colaiuta/dr, Alex Acuna/perc, John Beasley-Jon Cowherd, Michael Dease/tb, Terell Stafford-Rashawn/tp, Chicho Pinero-Russel Malone-Paul Jackson Jr-Jake Langley/g, Chiris Potter-Bob Sheppard-Rick Margitza/sax and Andy James-Tommy Ward/voc. The result is a swinging session that displays the best in modern jazz without the cacophonous extrapolations.
James is rich and blue on “Yesterdays”,and there are some sassy horns on the hip take of “Doodlin’”. The team gets Mingusy wild and wooley for “Whatever You Say” with some sizzling solos by Potter and Stafford. Colaiuta gets the spotlight as he teams with Acuna’s triangle on the percolating “Balinda” while Patitucci and Gilmore stroll under the horns of the soulful “Around The Corner”. Beasley gets funky on the hip “Beasley’s Blues” with Jackson and Malone digging in over the snappy backbeat, and the team sways to the noirish “Witches”. Everyone is in a good mood and they get kinetic and frantic for the closing “Danse”. This ones a cruiser!