Adam Niewood - Introducing Adam Niewood (2004)

Adam Niewood, the son of former Chuck Mangione saxophonist Gerry Niewood, proves to be an excellent soloist on his debut as a leader. He has attractive tones on tenor and soprano and contributes six melodic originals. Pianist Eric Lewis actually takes solo honors on many of the songs (his spot on "Nervous Brunch" is a high point) since he is a very complete player and is several years ahead of Niewood, but the leader fares well; in addition, his father has a couple guest appearances. The music ranges from the catchy "Shorty's Shuffle" and the Beatles' "And I Love Her" to Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio" and a two-tenor jam by the Niewoods on "Heard That Before," which is based on the first part of "Cherokee" but alternates its choruses between two different keys. Adam Niewood particularly excels on the more modern material such as Eric Lewis' "Hopscotch" and the raging "Blues for Ball." He shows plenty of potential throughout this enjoyable set, which is well worth picking up.

Review by Scott Yanow