Gregory Groover Jr.: Old Knew

Even though he has surely heard this more than a few times, Gregory Groover Jr. is a pretty hip name for a jazz saxophonist. Not so much for the pastor of Boston's Charles Street AME Church, the position held by the Groover for whom he is named, Gregory Sr., who no doubt grooves in his own way. Gregory Jr. plays high-energy tenor on Old Knew, the second recording under his name, wherein he leads a sturdy quintet through its paces on ten of his original compositions and one ("Retrograde") by pianist and composer Jason Moran.

The mood is mostly sunny and upbeat with Groover and vibraphonist Joel Ross assuming the lion's share of melodic oversight while pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Kendrick Scott enhance the rhythmic aspects of the partnership. Groover's tenor is strong and expressive, along the lines of contemporaries such as Billy Harper, Ralph Moore, Don Braden and others, while Ross mirrors such peers as Joe Locke, Stefon Harris and Steve Nelson.

The album's first three numbers—"Spaces," "551," "Go for Broke"—are straight-on swingers, awash in liveliness and muscle, before the tempo eases on "Rain Shall Fall." The sharp and lyrical "Retrograde" is next, followed by the balladic "Sumner" and prancing "Good Sir." "Juanita and Betty" rests in a pleasingly cheerful groove, as does "William and Vinson," bolstered, as usual, by perceptive solos from Groover, Ross and Cornish. "Old Knew," with its nuanced Latin framework that sees Cornish moving to electric piano, leads to the animated finale, "Arrivals."

As everyone plays well, the album's status rests in large measure on Groover's skills as a composer, which, as it turns out, are quite good, at least within the sphere he has chosen to call home. Although Groover's music breaks no new ground, it is consistently sharp and engaging, which raises Old Knew above the norm and makes it well worth considering.

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