L. A. 6

Here’s a sextet of guys who’ve been part of the LA scene for decades, steadily serving in the studio or as sidemen. If you  haven’t seen any of them in concert, then you haven’t been to a jazz club in LA, as Clay Jenkins/tp, Ira Nepus/tb, Tom Peterson/ts, Rich Eames/p, Jeff D’Angelo/b and Dick Weller/dr are always somewhere over the rainbow. Here, they mix originals with some clever arrangements of jazz standards to create a fresh yet swinging collection of sounds. Standards such as “How About You” and “You’re My Thrill” are enhanced by rich textures provide by the horns as well as clever introductions that almost serve as overtures to the main event. Fragrant amalgams of sounds on “Wonder Where You Are” also segue into well crafted solos by Peterson while the cozy “Sight Seen at Twilight” and “If I Should Lose You” include some buttery ‘bone work from read more...