Warren Vache - Talk to Me Baby (1996)

This Warren Vache CD is a bit unusual, for it features the trumpeter, best known for his work in the mainstream and small-group swing field, playing quite a few selections that fall stylistically into bop and hard bop. Joined by tenor saxophonist Bill Easley, trombonist Joel Helleny, guitarist Howard Alden, pianist Richard Wyands, bassist Michael Moore and drummer Alvin Queen, Vache digs into such numbers as Horace Parlan's "The Arrival," "Strangers In Paradise," Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan" and Sam Jones' "Says You." Highlights include a jubilant "Pick Yourself Up" (which has one of Vache's two effective vocals) and a pair of tongue twisters: Bud Freeman's "The Eel's Nephew" and Flip Phillips' "The Claw." No matter how complex the piece, Vache (who contributed "On Y Va") plays throughout in prime form, showing that he could be one of the top latter-day beboppers if that were his main goal.