James Williams - Meets the Saxophone Masters (1992)

Pianist James Williams picked three of the top tenor players of the 1990s (Joe Henderson, George Coleman and Billy Pierce) to participate in a jam session-type set. The sextet (with bassist James Genus and drummer Tony Reedus) performs six selections, all but one of which are over 9 minutes long. Each of the saxophonists have plenty of solo space and many chances to trade off. The material is generally pretty basic, with two blues, a runthrough on rhythm changes, the folk song "Calgary" and a pair of standards being performed. The tenors are quite aware of each other's presence so the playing is of a consistently high quality even if no real explosions occur. An enjoyable set.