Linus Eppinger & Sam Braysher: A Sinner Kissed an Angel

Once past its rather curious title, there is much to admire and applaud on the debut recording by electric guitarist Linus Eppinger and alto saxophonist Sam Braysher's quartet, not the least of which is the group's tendency to swing at any tempo and in every format and to do so with a mininum of bombast or pretension.

Based on the result alone, it is hard to believe that the foursome had been together as a working group for only three days before the album was recorded in 2025. Eppinger, who is from the Netherlands, and the British-born Braysher had worked together with various rhythm sections. For the studio date, they enlisted the services of the American-born bassist Darryl Hall (who now lives in Paris) and another of the Netherlands' renowned artists, drummer Eric Ineke, and more compatible choices would be hard to envision.

While Hall and Ineke comprise a persuasive rhythm section, the front-line combo of electric guitar and alto sax is surprisingly snug and effective, producing the sort of listener-friendly sounds that warmly suggest "stay tuned for more of the same." Eppinger and Braysher are sharp and perceptive soloists, always agile and laser-focused, delivering one eloquent statement after another. And aside from his remarkable talents as an improviser, Braysher boasts at least one more powerful weapon in his arsenal, in that he sounds like no one except Sam Braysher—a rare quality in these days of cookie-cutter likenesses.

The choice of material is top-notch, opening with the well-named "A Smooth One" (attributed to Benny Goodman, although there is some doubt about its true authorship) and sailing comfortably through four standards and five newer compositions before wrapping the package with Charlie Parker's bop classic, "Relaxing at Camarillo." Among the highlights: Braysher's snappy showpiece, "Put on a Happy Face" (which made Dick Van Dyke a star in the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie), Horace Silver's bright and buoyant "Room 608," the perky "Relaxing at Camarillo," as well as the melodically enchanting "Smooth One."

Ineke solos smartly on "A Smooth One" and "Room 608," Hall on the Latin-centered "I Told You So" and "Put on a Happy Face," and everyone spreads his unscripted wings on "Camarillo." Completing the program are the group's country-fried salute to singer Dusty Springfield, "Spooky"; Vernon Duke's lovely ballad, "Roundabout"; Ray Evans and Jay Livingstone's "Never Let Me Go"; the Nat King Cole hit "That Sunday That Summer," and the album's title song, which was introduced by none other than Frank Sinatra in the film The Song Is You.

If this album can serve as a benchmark, it seems that Eppinger and Braysher have a good thing going, with the promise of even better things to come. It is a promise that one looks forward to their keeping, sooner rather than later.