Dave Hanlon: Studio Sessions

Once upon a time, movie trailers would sometimes promote their latest big-screen spectacle by ending with the phrase ..."and a cast of thousands!" Although Syracuse, NY-based drummer Dave Hanlon does not quite match that figure on Studio Sessions, he does use 24 musicians on its nine tracks, none of which encompasses a group that is larger than an octet (including vocalists).

So what does all that talent add up to? Perhaps somewhat less than one might have hoped. To be sure, Hanlon is a splendid timekeeper, and the Sessions have their pleasurable moments, but in this case what feels like a something-for-everyone approach pays fewer dividends than intended.

While the album's weaknesses are hard to single out, they start with a selection of tunes that is less than inspired. Among the nine themes, Chuck Mangione's genial "Feels So Good" warrants the most interest. Even the lone standard, Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster's "The Shadow of Your Smile," is not the strongest link in the songwriting pair's body of work. On the other hand, Ronnie Leigh's vocal stamina bolsters Joe Sample's "Soul Shadows."

Herbie Hancock's seedless "Watermelon Man" gets the funk/rock/soul train rolling, after which it seldom shifts gears, rumbling through compositions by band members bassist Rick Cua ("Black Java") and keyboardist Jimmy Cox ("Turning the Stone"), Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Jerry Cohen's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." While there is no gainsaying the musicianship, it could have been put to far better use in brighter and more handsome Studio Sessions. This being the case, the ultimate verdict is slightly less than favorable, keeping in mind that others may see and gauge the material and the enterprise through a more positive lens.