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Jim Snidero: Crossfire

By Glenn Astarita
August 24, 2009
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Alto saxophonist Jim Snidero is a jazz musician who can perhaps assert that he's "been there, done that." A clinician, author, first-call session ace and solo artist, his craft is synonymous with general excellence within the modern jazz realm. Featuring a resonating and blustery tone, dappled with the occasional edge, Snidero transmits an authoritative presence on Crossfire.

With a top-notch band providing sympathetic support, Snidero effortlessly whirls through snappy bop grooves, abetted by sharpshooter guitarist Paul Bollenback's dark-toned phrasings and chord-based comping. The quartet communicates agility, and an affable comingling of finesse and power. And it's a buoyant engagement, fashioned upon the rhythm section's crisp underpinnings throughout various pulses.

Snidero's whispery ballad, "Tranquility," is revved up by a bump and groove vibe, as the band comes back in full stride during the torrid bop of "Vortex," which is accelerated by the saxophonist's popping notes and silky smooth overtones. Bollenbeck pulls out the proverbial stops via his articulate and rapidly flowing solo.

The leader's diverse game-plan continues with a warm and intimate bossa on "One For You," which is designed upon fluent movements and windblown themes. Crossfire seems to be an appropriate title for a program that is largely about brisk exchanges and impassioned group-centric interplay. Snidero's artistry bears a mark of distinction.

Track Listing

Crossfire; Tranquility; Vortex; Lost; Time After Time; Big "T"; One For You; Somewhere In The Night; One Finger Snap.

Personnel

Jim Snidero

saxophone, alto

Jim Snidero: alto saxophone; Paul Bollenback: guitar; Paul Gill: bass; Billy Drummond: drums.

Album information

Title: Crossfire | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Savant Records

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