Paul Howards - Elegance And Decadence (1998)

The two-fisted stylistic approach of multi-saxophonist Paul Howards' Elegance & Decadence perfectly reflects contrasting aspects of his hometown, Orlando, FL. He hints at the balmy, tropical winds on laid-back seductions like "Serenade" and "Searching Forever," on which his smoky tenor drifts over cool Fender Rhodes harmonies. Then he hits the party side of town (downtown's Church Street Station, for instance) for the down and dirty, sleeves rolled up "decadent" parts of the disc -- the busy title track restlessly switches off between alto and tenor sax verses over a thick, wah-wah punched soul groove before an explosive chorus featuring horn tripling with the baritone. Similarly, "Roadhouse" is a welcome high intensity break from the typical smooth jazz thing, a raucous free for all featuring more horn tripling (quadrupling if you include Kendall Wilson's trumpet), and the splashy, percussive blues organ sounds of Mike Avila. A child of '70s romantic music, Howards tones down considerably for some prom-like arrangements of the hits "Reasons" (which simmers before exploding like the original Earth, Wind & Fire version) and "Kiss and Say Goodbye."