This surprising band led by drummer
Colin Stranahan includes two alumni of the 2004
IAJE Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All Stars (the leader and bassist
Dominic Thiroux) plus several other talented young men including tenor saxophonist
Michael Bailey, multi-reed player
Remy Le Boeuf, and pianist
Pascal Le Boeuf. With most of the band's repertoire written by its members, all of whom show promise as both performers and composers, the band makes a striking impression, beginning with
Remy Le Boeuf's intense
post-bop opener,
"Song for Briana #3." Thiroux's mournful
"The Search" hooks the listener immediately with its hypnotic vamp and increasingly turbulent tenor sax solo, while his
Latin-accented
"No Thanks" makes the band sound like it has been together for years instead of months. The leader contributed the dreamy
"Out of Reach," which adds vibraphonist
Mark Clifford.
Jim Stranahan, the drummer's father, wrote the brisk 12-bar
blues "It's Not Always About You" and plays alto sax as well, while veteran trumpeter
Greg Gisbert also adds a potent solo. This is an impressive beginning for this group of promising young musicians. ~ Ken Dryden
