Elias Haslanger - For The Moment (1997)

Tracklist

01. For The Moment
02. Mile's Mode
03. For Heaven's Sake
04. But Not For Me
05. Cherokee
06. Stella By Starlight
07. Passion Dance

Elias Haslanger, on his second recording as a leader, sounds like a light-toned John Coltrane on "Miles' Mode" and takes a stop-time chorus à la Sonny Rollins on "Cherokee," but mostly displays his own voice and high-energy style. The music on For the Moment is forward-looking hard bop, featuring Haslanger's tenor in a Texas-based quartet with pianist Frederick Sanders (who shows strong potential), drummer J.J. Johnson, and either Edwin Livingston or Jeff Haley (who is just on "For Heavens Sake") on bass. Sanders actually steals the show on a couple selections but Haslanger also plays quite well throughout these live dates, with plenty of fire being displayed during this fine modern mainstream program.