Joe Lovano: 52nd Street Themes (Blue Note)
Lovano, one of the greatest living tenor saxophonists, as convincing "inside" as "out", delves into the bop repertoire of 52nd Street for a beautifully crafted album. Over half recalls the lovely writing of the late Tadd Dameron, a major influence on the little-known veteran, Willie "Face" Smith, who did the orchestrations; the instrumental spread - trumpet, trombone, alto, tenor, baritone and rhythm - is identical to Dameron's Fontainebleau group. Smith handles it with elegant aplomb, the often gorgeous writing superbly played by a gem of an ensemble which includes Conrad Herwig, Gary Smulyan, John Hicks, Dennis Irwin and Lewis Nash. With Lovano responding brilliantly to the variety of contexts afforded him, this is craftsmanship invigorated by the perspectives of the present.
Harry Allen: Plays Ellington Songs (RCA Victor)
Mainstream tenor Allen invokes not so much Ellington as the ghosts of Stan Getz, particularly, and Paul Gonsalves in this Ducal tribute, the contents of which were decided by a readers' poll of Japan's Swing Journal magazine. It's beautifully done; there are excellent versions of Just Squeeze Me, Cottontail, C Jam Blues, Take The A Train (a tenor/piano duet and taken slower than usual) and a gloriously grooving Things Ain't What They Used To Be, alone worth the admission price. A fine rhythm section helps; Peter and Kenny Washington on bass and drums are firmly propulsive and pianist Bill Charlap's harmonic prodding is a plus. The caveat is that too often there's a sense of the past simply being revisited, rather than renewed. Despite that, mainstream fans should love it.