Heavy Hitters: That's What's Up!

Heavy Hitters is a superb New York-based sextet co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. Individually and as a team, the Hitters keep their eyes squarely on the ball, swing for the fences and, more often than not, slam the spheroid solidly out of the park. And on this typically upbeat session they do it in front of an appreciative audience at Frankie's Club in Victoria, British Columbia.

A freewheeling groove permeates the concert, a frame of mind grounded in and animated by the blues, which happens to be LeDonne's bag (he wrote seven of the session's ten impressive numbers). Alexander shares the front line with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and alto Vincent Herring, while LeDonne is something of a hybrid, soloing impeccably while sharing rhythmic duties with bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Kenny Washington.

The Hitters come out swinging on the robust "JB," the first of LeDonne's alluring charts (a blues, of course), wherein Alexander leads a quartet of sinewy sluggers that includes Pelt, Herring and LeDonne. The pianist's sturdy title track is next, followed by his rhythmically seductive "Shadows" and rapid-fire "Groundation" (on which Washington's drum set blazes the trail). The tempo slows appreciably on Alxander's handsome showcase, the Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn standard, "It's Magic," before resuming its hurried pace on Alexander's riveting "Blues for All" and LeDonne's quirky "Continuum," on which Claffy's muscular bass leads the ensemble to its winding destination.

LeDonne embraces the spotlight on Grant Wood's eloquent ballad, "My One and Only Love," which leads to "Lord Walton," his sturdy salute to fellow pianist Cedar Walton, and the melodious mid-tempo finale, "You'll Never Know What You Mean to Me," on which Herring takes the first heavy swing, followed by Pelt (muted for the only time), Alexander and LeDonne. If stellar small-group jazz is what you are seeking, it is a safe bet the search may lead you to Frankie's Club where the Heavy Hitters offer a textbook lesson in how to blend stylish contemporary discourse with bright and pleasing entertainment.