High Plains

Tenor saxist Stephen Martin brings a strong mid period John Coltrane to the table with his modal team of Peter Schlamb/vib-p, Ben Leifer/b, David Hawkins/dr and a couple cameo guests on this collection of mostly originals. Martin's tone is rich with a glorious vibrato, getting assertive on "Horizons" and riding over Schlamb's Tyneresque chords on the loping "The Void." Martin is relaxed on the lovely "Easy Living" and moody on the long shadowed "High Plains" with the team sounding like a variation of Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" on the rhapsodic " Simone". Alto giant Bobby Watson comes in to dance around Leifer's slick bass on "Stablemates" while tenorist Matt Otto creates a one two punch around Hawkins' drum work on the muscular "Euphony". Strong impulses.