Radiant Blue

ANTON SCHWARTZ – “Radiant Blue”
AntonJazz, 2006
Straightahead bop from a Bay Area sax man (and former Stanford grad student); this is his 4th CD. All of the songs on the disc are based on the blues form – sometimes this is obvious, sometimes not. The solos generally cook, staying melodic and in-the-pocket. A good time.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 4, 7, 10

1. 7:12 – glossy groove: simple theme, melodic solos for guitar, sax, piano
2. 4:48 – sly funk ditty with a New Orleans beat: sax burns, piano struts
3. 7:39 – bossa/samba classic given some twists: starts mellow, big ending
4. 6:20 – quick and sneaky, gliding & stabbing: solos for sax, piano, guitar
5. 7:43 – warm, happy “South African groove,” ramps up near the end
6. 5:21 – funky syncopation: soulful sax, grooving piano, lots of drums
7. 5:54 – straight-up blues: easy-glide guitar, swinging sax, old school piano
8. 6:04 – blue samba over a rolling bassline; light burner, delicate piano
9. 4:50 – street corner swing, feels like a theme song
10. 5:31 – slow, late-night blues crawl… pour me another, Charlie.

[ Fo ] 6-Oct-06