Search - Grant Steward :: Downtown Sounds

Sounds good to me !

Ozzie | Brugge, Flanders | 09/14/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Saxophonist Grant Stewart, born in Toronto, Ontario, makes his debut as a leader on this album. Partnered up front by trumpeter Joe Magnarelli and backed up by an excellent rhythm-section he stakes his claim with conviction. Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums edge the band on, while pianist Brad Mehldau is energetic and inventive, although this format is probably not his favorite (his own albums as a leader are largely in the piano-trio format). Joe Magnarelli is a little-known musician (he has some albums out as a leader on the Criss Cross-label), who sounds very mellow, but never lazy or unoriginal. His use of a mute on Charlie Parker's "Koko" is a nice touch. Grant Stewart chose not to record any of his own compositions on this debut CD, preferring standards by Billy Strayhorn (3 tunes in all), Sonny Rollins ("Audobahn") and an original by young drummer Johnny Ellis. There's nothing earth-shattering about this album by the young Canadian, just a nicely satisfying album of well-played hard-bop. Fans of this brand of jazz should find this CD very enjoyable."