Alto saxophonist
Mike Dirubbo is firmly in
neo-bop mode on his
Criss Cross debut, which also features trumpeter
Jim Rotondi, pianist
Mike LeDonne, bassist
Dwayne Burno, and drummer
Joe Farnsworth. The quintet opens with
LeDonne's
"Encounter," a fast workout over
"Love for Sale" changes. They carry on with a pair of
Dirubbo originals -- first the gentle three/four
bossa "Introspection," then the title track, a
Lee Morgan-esque
blues also in three. Pulling out all the stops, they launch into an insanely fast
"End of a Love Affair." Each solo is more dazzling than the previous one; the take climaxes with
LeDonne's brilliant foray (listen carefully for his ingenious reference to
Victor Feldman's
"Joshua"). A sensitive quartet rendition (sans trumpet) of
McCoy Tyner's
"Sunset" gives
Dirubbo a chance to showcase his unusually rich alto sound. Winding down, the group evokes early-'70s
Freddie Hubbard with
"Around the Way" (co-written by the leader and
Rotondi), swings a bit slower on the angular
"Mike's Move," clears the way for an alto/drums duet on
"Solar," and signs off with a ten-minute-plus take of
Sam Jones'
blues "Bittersuite." Dirubbo and company win no awards for innovation, but there are few people who can play this kind of music this well. A real pleasure. ~ David R. Adler
