Shawn Maxwell: J Town Suite

Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell is so fond of his hometown—Joliet, Illinois—that he has written the J Town Suite in its honor and dedicated an entire album to themes associated with his Joliet roots and upbringing.

Problem is, those essays have meaning only to Maxwell—and perhaps a handful of others—so the album must be appraised musically, not thematically. Which is fine, as it is essentially a quartet date embracing contemporary straight-ahead jazz, not unlike many others that are produced these days. There is one slight yet pleasing departure from the norm—keyboardist Collin Clauson forsakes the piano in favor of the Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer organ, which does lend some slight variety to the usual quartet sound.

Maxwell plays alto sax on four of the suite's nine movements, soprano on three, flute on the others. Clauson stays mostly with the Fender Rhodes, unwrapping the Wurlitzer only on the upbeat "Hickory Street," Maxwell's home base until fourth grade. The opening "Steelmen March" is a nod to Maxwell's alma mater, Joliet High School, while the disquieting "Fries or Rings in the Back" denotes Joe's Hot Dogs, a favorite light-night hangout for Joliet's younger set.

And so it goes, with bows to the local newspaper ("Herald's News"), the town's now-shuttered state penitentiary ("In the Shadow of Statesville"), a local trumpet star ("Jerry"), a familiar bar and grill ("Tap, Keg & Tavern") and the town's crumbling infrastructure ("Bridge Closed," "Ghost Mall on Jefferson"). The music is for the most part mellow and temperate, as fits its subject matter, with occasional flashes of heat, as on "Jerry" or "Hickory Street."

Was devoting an entire album to sketches of one's hometown a good idea? In the end, only as good as the music it produces. In this case, good but no more than that. While Maxwell's quartet is no doubt committed to the enterprise, there simply aren't enough memorable landmarks in J Town to earnestly endorse it as a tourist destination.

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