Coming into his own in the '80s and '90s as part of the revered
Mel Lewis Orchestra
(co-led by
Thad Jones
until 1979, then renamed
the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
after
Lewis
' death in 1990), tenor saxophonist
Ralph Lalama
has recorded a handful of fine solo dates for the Dutch jazz label
Criss Cross
, including this, his excellent sophomore outing. Backed by a stellar band comprised of pianist
Kenny Barron
, bassist
Bill Irwin
, and drummer
Kenny Washington
,
Lalama
offers up a satisfying and straightforward
hard bop
set, taking in both covers and originals.
's saxophone heroes are revealed here with excellent renditions of
Dexter Gordon
's
"Rainbow People,"
Hank Mobley
"The Breakthrough,"
and
Sonny Rollins
'
"Kids Know."
also includes a cover of
"Wonderful, Wonderful,"
following
Rollins
' own interpretation of the song from the saxophonist's 1957
Blue Note
recording
Newk's Time
. The other half of the set is made up of a lengthy and inspired reading of the
ballad
"Detour Ahead"
(immortalized by
Billie Holiday
in 1951), a
samba
take on
Oscar Moore
"Beautiful Moons Ago,"
and a couple of impressive,
-penned
swingers
. Throughout the disc,
displays his iron tone and masterful solo conception, while both
Barron
Washington
make highly original contributions of their own. This fine modern-day
set -- with topnotch sound -- avoids the pitfalls of
jazz
classicism with astute covers and plenty of personalized solo work. ~ Stephen Cook