Is forty years long enough? Apparently not for jazz bassist Nat Reeves who has been at the task for over four decades! It is clearly evident here as he surrounds himself with younger all stars on a hip run through the essence of the art form. Most of the tunes are originals “back in the day” by heroes like Sonny Stitt, Jackie McLean, Pharaoh Sanders, and more. Titles familiar to you are these: “On Green Dolphin Street”, “Alice In Wonderland”, “Portrait Of Jennie”, and probably McLean's “Appointment In Ghana”. Those supremely gifted cats previously referred to include Orrin Evans, piano; Eddie Henderson, trumpet; Steve Davis, trombone; Eric Alexander, tenor sax; and Jeff “Tain” Watts, drums. That, in baseball parlance, is a grand slam home run. The music says it all. And I, for one, am grateful for players like this who insist on keeping it exciting, relevant, and respectful of the truly American treasure we refer to as jazz!
Side Door Jazz; 2066; appx. 66 min.
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