Day and Night

The arranging is a star feature on this album as well, though in this case the ten-piece ensemble is led by guitarist/composer Tom Rizzo. (The arranger is trombonist Nick Lane, who also plays on the session.) The program consists of a few originals but focuses on standards like "So In Love" and Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes," with a few curveballs thrown in: a slightly noirish version of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City," a swamp-funk rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," and a crisp take on Ornette Colemen's smartly boppish "Law Years." In my Kevin Hicks review above, I praised his quartet for sounding bigger than it is. In the case of Rizzo, I'd like to praise his ten-piece for sounding smaller than it is - sharper, more agile, tighter than you might reasonably expect from a combo this size. It's an excellent album in all ways.