Derek Nash: Snapshot

Nash is also an A-list session man whose in concert credits include guitarist Eric Clapton, singers Jamie Cullum, Bob Dorough and Mavis Staples, and saxophonists Bobby Wellins and Branford Marsalis. On top of all this, he's a busy recording engineer (awarded a gold disc for his work on Cullum's 2003 Candid album, Pointless Nostalgic).

Snapshot is, indirectly, a product of Nash's engineering work. Finding himself in early 2007 with an unexpected free afternoon at Clowns Pocket, where he was engineering a Trudy Kerr album, with a band that was already warmed up he pulled out some charts that he uses on his "guest with the house band" gigs, and recorded these nine tunes. Three hours later Snapshot was completed.

It's a warm and amiable album, featuring a string of fine solos from Nash—who plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone—and pianist Jan Lundgren with sterling support from bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Steve Brown. And while it may not travel to many unexpected places, it's a lively and engaging ride. There are covers of Hank Mobley's "Soul Station," Pat Metheny's "Farmer's Trust" and Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Winelight" and the standards "Falling In Love With Love" (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart), "Polka Dots And Moonbeams" (Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke) and "I'm Glad There Is You" (Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madeira). Neil Hefti's "Li'l Darlin'" is given a hard swinging workout, Gerry Mulligan's "Five Brothers" is heard in an attractive arrangement by Dave Grusin, and there's the little known Duke Ellington tune "My Love," from the Sacred Concerts series.

Seamless as the set is, the highlights are probably "Soul Station," which Nash approaches with a breezy, rough hewn energy more reminiscent of Louis Jordan than its composer, and "My Love," given tender handling on soprano. An album to kick back with and enjoy on its own, unpretentious terms.