Vibes on a Breath

Ted Piltzecker keeps the vibes light with a not too big band of Brad Goode/tp, Paul McKee/tb, John Gunther/ts-bcl, Wil Swindler/ts-as, Paul Romaine/dr, Gonzalo Teppa/ba, Javier Diaz/perc and Judith LeClair/bassoon on this textured collection of standards and originals. The team charges and jabs along with Swindler's baritone on a sleek read of "Seven Steps To Heaven" , and the horns get elegiac for a sublime "New Orleans". Teppa leads the way around the chirping horns on "It Could Happen To You", and West Coast Cool is nifty around Romaine's crisp brushes for a "Subconscious Lee" that has vibes and bass clarinet mano a mano. Goode's muted horn gives a film noir feel to the bluesy "We'll Get Through This" and even Leclair's bassoon gets into the act with a rich and sophisticated "Bus" . Pilzecker's tendency is to guide and blend, not to overrun, and it works well on this sublime mix of pastels.