George Garzone: Themes For Good Friends

Tenor saxophonist George Garzone, a driving force on the New England jazz scene for more than half a century, traveled to the famed Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey to record the genial Themes for Good Friends, his 13th album as leader, with an all-star supporting cast that includes trumpeter Randy Brecker on his quintet's front line.

The rhythm section (Luis Perdomo, piano; Santi Debriano, bass; Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums) is no less impressive, lending Garzone and Brecker all the help they need on compositons by Archie Shepp, Jimmy Van Heusen (a contrafact of the standard "It Could Happen to You," renamed here "It Will Happen to You") and a pair by Garzone himself. Debriano provides another ("Ripty Boom," on which Debriano and Watts deliver splendid solos), as does Perdomo ("Just Ring the Bell"). Garzone opens the largely engaging session performing a duet with Perdomo on Fred Lacey's cordial "Theme for Ernie," and appends one more, with Watts on John Coltrane's well-known "Giant Steps."

Garzone pioneered a new form of improvisation he calls the triadic chromatic approach. Without going into great detail, the basic idea is to allow a soloist to improvise freely "without having to concern [himself or herself] with what is going on harmonically." Whatever its intent, the result in this case sounds much like classic post-bop blowing. Garzone has a kindred soul in Brecker whose forceful solos are by and large from the same chapter and verse as Garzone's playbook.

Garzone and Perdomo are delightful on the even-tempered "Theme for Ernie," paving the way for the quintet's persuasive entrance on Shepp's fast-paced "U-Jaama" and the stylish "It Will Happen to You." The rhythm section introduces "Ripty Boom," a mid-tempo charmer wherein all hands deliver incisive solos, after which Garzone and Watts merge to enliven and refresh "Giant Steps." "Just Ring the Bell" (another highlight) glides easily forward within a melodious framework, leading to Garzone's bluesy "The Mingus I Knew" and heartwarming "To Michael Brecker" (neatly introduced by Watts).

The quintet is firing on all cylinders, Garzone shows he has not lost a step to Father Time, and Brecker adds an enticing voice to the mix, helping to raise these mostly charming Themes well above the small-group norm.