Search - Claire Daly :: Movin on

Claire Daly's distinction as a baritone saxophonist owes less to her being one of the few women to play the instrument than to the lyricism and subtle oomph she brings to the music. No Mulligan come lately, though she was featured in a band that paid tribute to the great Gerry M, she draws more upon the streamlined bop of baritonist Leo Parker and the soulful thrusts of Ronnie Cuber. Her second solo album finds her in a more mellow and refined state than she reveals in live performance. But in gathering up goodbye songs, this onetime member of the all-female Diva big band (and a regular in pianist Joel Forrester's People Like Us) livens up the set with a decisive melodic quality that bypasses sentimentality for sturdier emotions. Whether engaging in the rhythm trickery of Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya," the loose spirits of "After You've Gone," or the Broadway nostalgia of "If Ever I Would Leave You" (one of two tracks featuring trumpeter James Zollar), she imparts a winning freshness. Her two vocals are workmanlike, but they add personality, as does the fine playing of regular cohorts, including pianist Eli Yamin and bassist Dave Hofstra. --Lloyd Sachs