Ben Huntoon

Linda Dachtyl: Full Steam Ahead

by Jack Bowers
November 25, 2025

Full Steam Ahead, Ohio-based organist Linda Dachtyl's fifth recording as leader of her own groups, is a largely upbeat studio session wherein she oversees a trio--guitarist Don Hales, drummer and husband Cary Dachtyl--on six of ten numbers. The threesome by itself is quite good, so much so that one might reasonably argue that no more help is needed. Nevertheless, saxophonist Mark Donavan makes it a quartet on three tracks, and joins two guests, trumpeter Ben Huntoon and ...