The Art of the Saxophone

by Scott YanowThis is an ambitious project that works quite well. Tenor-saxophonist Bennie Wallace, a flexible player able to range from swing to free jazz, clearly has fun matching wits on two or three songs apiece with guest tenors Harold Ashby, Jerry Bergonzi, Lew Tabackin and altoist Oliver Lake. Assisted by guitarist John Scofield, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Dannie Richmond on this Japanese import CD (which has been available domestically), Wallace is heard at his best battling Tabackin and Bergonzi although he keeps up with the radical flights of Lake too. In addition to "You Go To My Head," six Wallace originals and two Duke Ellington tunes are performed. Well worth searching for.