Barney Wilen Quartet - New York Romance [Hi-Res] (2010)

Alternating between soprano, tenor and baritone saxes in this collection of straight-ahead jazz for the Japanese market, Barney Wilen refuses to be pinned down to a single tone quality or approach, even on the same instrument. Among other things, he mimics the lagging phrasing of Lady Day on "You've Changed" on soprano, "Blues Walk" bumps along agreeably on baritone while "Old Devil Moon" is sustained and humorous, and "Mack the Knife" is converted into a glacial smoky ballad with almost casual nonchalance. Throughout, Kenny Barron gets acres of well-turned solo space -- it's practically his gig, too -- and Ira Coleman (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) provide crisp underpinning. The further one goes in this collection, the more interesting and less predictable it sounds. ~ Richard S. Ginell