Sam Taylor: Let Go

Tenor saxophonist Sam Taylor is a man with a purpose. He is committed to sharing the joy music brings him with like-minded listeners. For this album, he brought together a number of his heroes including trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Neal Miner and drummer Willie Jones III at one of jazz's most iconic recording studios, the Van Gelder Studios at Englewood Cliffs NJ, on January 31, 2022, under the guidance of engineer Maureen Sickler.

The ten tracks comprise jazz originals and popular standards along with one composition from Taylor. The session starts with Barry Harris' "Luminescence," a sprightly bop line which the band treats with garrulous inquisitiveness. Taylor, Stafford and Patton all show they are in the game. Taylor's original "Let Go" follows in the same swinging bop style.

Benny Golson's "Out Of The Past" was written for his own sextet and Taylor and the band give a straightforward reading of the number. There is a well thought out bass interlude from Miner. Jimmy Van Heusen's "Here's That Rainy Day" is done with taste and affection as a bossa nova. Pianist Patton's effervescent style that adds to the rhythmic appeal of the number. Both Taylor and Stafford are expressive and insightful in their solo spots. Jule Styne and Leo Robin wrote "Bye Bye Baby" for the 1949 Broadway musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the final track delivers it in gloriously swinging mode. Stafford gleefully takes the tune full throttle, with a Jones in a propulsive mode throughout. A fitting conclusion to a nicely done session.