Bird's Ticket

Tenor saxist Carlos Vega leads a heavy hitting post bop team of Victor Garcia/tp, Stu Mindeman/p-key, Josh Ramos/b and Xavier Breaker/dr through ten rich originals. Vega's tone is Coltrane-esque thick with a hint of fuzz attached and he's quite adept at tricky lines and driving grooves as on the quicksilver "A Confluence in Chi-Town" and intricate title track. Mindeman's piano is a lovely companion as he and the rhythm team form a table dance along with percussionist Juan Pastor on the passionate "Taurus and Virgo." His keyboard sounds are gentle on the Blue Note bouncy "Chicago Eight" and gets spacey with Ramos as Garcia and Vega deliver some rich work on "Taurus on the Run." Vega rides the rhythm section on the nimble "Elements" and takes on Mindeman's pulse on "The Wizard." Muscular and musical.