Tenor saxist Harry Allen continues to lineage of warm and breathy tenor stars that started with Lester Young, became most popular with Stan Getz, was resurged by Scott Hamilton and is now passed on to the leader of this Brazilian session. He teams up with Klaus Mueller/p, Guilherme Monteiro/g, Nilson Matta/b and Duduka Da Fonseca/dr on a series of mix and match tunes. Lots of sensuous sambas are included, such as the guitar tenor dominated “Bute Papo” and the wonderfully remade take of “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes.” Maucha Adnet brings in her bona fide vocals, sometimes sounding a bit sandy on “Double Rainbow” while sounding as fluid as a mint tea on “Eu e a Briza.” Like all things tenor, Allen sounds best when the tempo downshifts, as on the gloriously subtle “Love Dance” and ”Tristeza De Nos Dois” which are the embodiments of the truth that it’s not so much what you say, but HOW you say it. This disc says it just right.
Arbors Records