On his fifth Steeplechase outing,
Ari Ambrose returns to a piano-less trio setting, enlisting Jay Anderson on bass and
Jeff Williams on drums. The young tenor saxophonist opts for canonical jazz tunes over originals this time, beginning and ending in 3/4 with
Frank Rosolino's "Blue Daniel" and
Wayne Shorter's "United," respectively. (The
Shorter piece closed out an earlier Steeplechase disc,
Kevin Hays'
Ugly Beauty, which also featured
Jeff Williams.)
Ambrose goes on to interpret
Monk,
Strayhorn,
Jobim,
Coltrane, and even
Stevie Wonder ("How Can You Believe"). With a deep, throaty, rhythmically relaxed sound, he plays impressively on a fairly wide range of material, and he thrives with this seasoned and flexible rhythm section. ~ David R. Adler