Tenor saxophonist
Keith Oxman'
s eighth CD is one that solidifies his place as a solid if not unspectacular post-
Sonny Rollins
player. He's got a lean, mean approach to the big horn tunefully based at the bottom, with a range of expressions that are fairly serious without being either ribald or outside the box. With a rhythm trio featuring the fine pianist
Marc Sabatella
,
Oxman
rolls through this swing-oriented modern jazz batting nary an eyelash, passing on standards, for the most part, to present original material solidly grounded in straight-ahead music. At his best,
swings
"For Darcy & Lenny"
in bop style with a happy face and no frills, he plays unison lines with
Sabatella
-- who also composed this track -- during
"All Dudes"
in an upbeat blues-to-bop shuffle, and jumps right into modal bop for the excellent hard swinger
"Dial M for McMahill,"
replete with
Charles Mingus
-like pedal points and sharp flourishes. Another fine
original,
"Pinwheel"
is a pure soul-jazz funk tune in the
Les McCann
mold,
"Sir Thomas"
goes off the path in a
Thelonious Monk
-like off-kilter melody by
, and Latin sounds are embraced for the light, swaying bossa
"Thiago,"
and the sexy calypso
"Encountering Maestro Elias."
There's an effortless sax/piano duet of the
Gershwin
brothers,
"I Was Doing All Right"
(sic), and
Oxman'
s beautiful and patient solo treatment of
Billy Strayhorn'
s
"Lush Life"
that might prelude an entire future project sans rhythm section that could work easily. A sensible musician with his chops in check and his head on straight, it is amazing that
Keith Oxman
has recorded with so little fanfare. While not a magnum opus, this album shows without a doubt that he's on the right track toward making inroads as a talent deserving wider recognition. ~ Michael G. Nastos