Vincent Herring - Don't Let It Go (1995)

On alto saxophonist Vincent Herring's third Musicmasters release, he is joined by trumpeter Scott Wendholt, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Jesse Yusef Murphy, and drummer Carl Allen to perform seven originals (five by the group's members) and one jazz classic, Duke Pearson's hard-swinging "Big Bertha." Outside of "Big Bertha," this recording has a more relaxed, introspective feel, a departure from Herring's previous hard bop-oriented releases. Herring's big, Adderley-influenced sound is intact, but his attack is more restrained, expressing the emotions that help to shape the music, and his unison lines with Wendholt on the melodies give this recording much of its flavor. Other favorites include the Shorter-ish title track, Chestnut's Latin-influenced "Into the Midnight" (a feature for Herring's soprano), Tex Allen's "Sabrosa," which has a slower, Latin-influenced melody, and Wendholt's fast waltz, "The Unknown Ideal" (another Herring soprano feature). This is a welcome addition to the Herring discography.