Chris Byars - Jazz Pictures At An Exhibition Of Himalayan Art (2008)

The musicians might be based in New York and this recording was made in 2007 rather than 1952, but the results sound a lot like West Coast jazz of the 1950s. Saxophonist Chris Byars has made a local name for himself in New York by specializing in reviving jazz from the '50s, leading tributes at Small's to the music of Lucky Thompson, Gigi Gryce, and Jimmy Cleveland. Jazz Pictures at an Exhibition of Himalayan Art has an exotic title and the song titles are unusual. Each piece is tied to a specific painting at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. Most of the selections feature Byars' pianoless quartet, with the leader and trombonist John Mosca engaging in spirited interplay while bassist Ari Roland and drummer Stefan Schatz keep their support swinging. That music is in the spirit of the Gerry Mulligan-Bob Brookmeyer Quartet, despite all of the selections being originals by Byars. However a few numbers add James Byars on oboe and English horn, recalling some of the Third Stream "experiments" of the '50s, including pieces that do not utilize the rhythm section at all and are as close to classical music as to bop. All in all, this is an intriguing set that builds on styles and ideas of the past, some of which were discarded a half-century ago. ~Scott Yanow