Songs Without Words

This is one of those modern jazz recordings that, at first blush, seems like a straight-ahead affair. But then the melodies get dreamy and the rhythms sparkle and crack on the surface of the composition, and it just doesn�t do to call it straight ahead anymore. Pianist Hoefner rounds out a quartet with tenor/soprano sax, bass and drums, for a series of light-hearted tunes with enough moody substance to allow the emotional texture to shift at will. It makes for some deceptively simple music. When the soprano sax gets involved, things get so damn pretty.