Less Is More

For his second session on Seattle?s respected Origin label, Thompson has put together a solid quintet and chosen some intriguing jazz compositions, often overlooked by others. The opener is Kenny Dorham?s ?Lotus Blossom,? a hard bop vehicle. Or how about Ornette Coleman?s ?Invisible,? a tricky melody line that nobody has given any attention to for years. Then there?s ?This Is for Albert?, a rather lyrical and tuneful Wayne Shorter creation. Finally, Thompson?s group gives us ?Step Lightly,? one of tenor great Joe Henderson?s best known tunes. From the standards side of the menu, Thompson and company offer ?I Didn?t Know What Time It Was,? ?It?s Easy to Remember? and ?I?ve Never Been in Love Before.? This well-balanced effort is completed by a few originals, including the title tune. The quintet is made up of trumpet and flugelhorn giant Terrell Stafford, emerging tenor saxophonist Doug Stone, versatile pianist and organist Gary Versace, Jeff Campbell, a new name to me on bass, and the leader. A high level of musicianship is the order of the day, and it should be said that these guys sound like they?re enjoying every minute of it.