CrossWeave

For those not familiar with the Kim Richmond/Clay Jenkins Ensemble, this disc is an excellent introduction into how jazz sounds when the rhythm section is real (non-synth) and the arrangements pull the horns together in a rhythmically complex yet harmonically clean unison that has become the trademark of Kim Richmond's arrangements. "Trouble Shooter" has an almost film-noir Johnny Mandel flavor with a frenetic tension that builds through the solos seeking resolution, while "Always With You" is a tonal excursion that Leonard Bernstein would have appreciated. While the imaginative piano of Harold Danko provides the harmonic thread that laces the solos together, the solo voices themselves remain diversified, unique, and rich. Richmond's solo on Ray Noble's "Touch of Your Lips" takes of in a hybrid swing-bop lyricism that is refreshing in it's lack of contrived sounding bop "licks." Like-wise, the alto solo on "Crossweave" is memorable and worthy of multiple replays by the saxoholics. This album is a home run for the Real Jazz fans.