The Best Female Baritone and Bass Saxophone Player EVER!
Sime'on | 06/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great jazz album, Jennifer Hall is superb. She can play any instrument, whether it's the Flute, Bass Clarniet or any kind of Saxophone like Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone or the Big Bass Saxophone, she is excellent. Now, to this album, Jennifer Hall did wonderful and beautiful on this album paying tribute to the late Gerry Mulligan, she deserves my blessings from me, she is not only talented, but she makes the Baritone Sax or any Saxophone sound sexy and beautiful. God Bless Jennifer Hall on a job well done.
and yes, God has truly Blessed her w/a talent."
JENNIFER HALL'S SIZZLING BARITONE SAX LEADS A FESTIVE MULLIG
RBSProds | Deep in the heart of Texas | 05/02/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"FOUR and a half BRIGHT Stars!! Brilliant baritone saxophonist Jennifer Hall leads a sizzling, beautiful tribute to the legendary baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan fronting a top-drawer group of west coast musicians. The swinging Ms Hall, known to many of us as a member of Jack Sheldon's big band and the fabulous all-female Maiden Voyage big band, uses a warm tone and a muscular, fast and fluid style more akin to Mulligan than Pepper Adams or Hamiet Bluiett. She blazes through the 'cookers' and lovingly colors the ballads, mixing the personnel and the instrumentation to keep it fresh. The band uses "west coast jazz" 'heads', somewhat recalling the spirit of the early days of Mulligan, Manne, and Baker, but with blazing ultra-modern improvisations. I especially like the double baritone tandem front line that pops up adding 'bari-man' Roger Neumann, as well as the trumpet, trombone, tenor or soprano sax co-leads.
The 'best of the best' begin with the buoyant "Line for Lyons" as Jennifer gets off a marvelous serpentine solo (and it went straight to my iPod). The venerable "Bernie's Tune" gets a wonderful treatment as the group turns up the heat and the beat. The hard-bopping "Elevation" features a sizzling Carl Saunders whose fire and inventiveness are complimented perfectly by the fleet-fingered Ms Hall, serving up quotes and fire in both her solo and in 'trading 8's' with the drummer. "Dragonfly" is Jennifer's beautiful baritone sax 'tone poem' that adds Tom Kubis' soprano sax creating a great color palette. Jack Sheldon lends his beautiful, idiomatic voice and trumpet to "Summer's Over" casting a great aural mood in consonance with Jennifer's 'bari'. In all, a great tribute to 'Jazz Hall-of-Famer' Gerry Mulligan that is wonderfully recorded and Highly Recommended. Jennifer Hall is IMPRESSIVE and I await her next recording! ENCORE! Four and a half BIG Stars. (This review is based on an iTunes download.)"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1