Amazon.com
Jazz saxophonists Chico Freeman, Nathan Davis, Sam Rivers, and Arthur Blythe display their distinctive sax styles in this swinging concert from the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton, England. They're backed by a rhythm section featuring pianist Don Pullen, bassist Santi Debriano, and drummer Idris Muhammad. Freeman's windy city tones blow brightly on the slow-tempo tune "Never Always" and on the after-hours blues "After Dark." Arthur Blythe's stinging alto pays homage to Charlie Parker's classic "Parker's Mood," while Sam Rivers's challenging solos bathe the Coleman Hawkins-associated standard "Body and Soul" with a touch of the avant-garde. Davis's sinewy, snaky soprano lines illuminate the ballad "You Don't Know What Love Is," and the grand finale, "Lester Leaps In," features all four horn players in a rousing, blues-riffed tour-de-force. On this DVD, you can hear the entire history of the saxophone.
--Eugene Holley Jr.
