Albert-Ankrum Project: Albert-Ankrum Project

This CD by two inhabitants of the Crescent City is a session of creative modern jazz, tempered now and then with some swinging rhythms and even adding a dash of New Orleans tabasco jazz now and them. One co-leader, Jeff Albert, is a Louisiana native and has been in New Orleans since 1988. The other leader, saxophonist Larry Ankrum, moved to New Orleans from the Caribbean in 1999 and is an escapee from Rock. The play list is a varied conglomeration of mostly originals with some products from the pens of other composers appended. It hits on all the rhythmic and harmonic valves and then some. On "Darling" , it sounds as if Casandra Ankrum also comes from a rock background as she creates a serious amount of turbulence with her electric bass, as the drums of the tune's composer, Louis Romanos, throws one shot after another at her before all ends peacefully, relieving the tension built up over the nine minutes of playing. Lennon and McCartney's "Norwegian Wood", with Larry Ankrum's soprano initially oozing a dirge like tone as only a modern soprano saxophonist can do, before Steve Masakowski's guitar comes in for a couple of choruses of sound melodic rambling giving some lyrical substance to a lovely piece. New Orleans rises to the fore on an upbeat "Night Baby" in the form of Jeff Albert's big trombone sound as it takes over from a serious beginning by the electric bass and the tenor sax. This is one of the top tracks on this CD. Then there's the blues with "`toon's Tune", written by Larry Ankrum with a funk groove to it. His buoyed up soprano sax leads the way over Romanos' ricocheting drums.

This CD comes at the listener from a variety of directions and you got to be on your toes to appreciate what's happening with young, daring jazz performers. Check them out at http:// jeffalbert.com/aap.