Down the Line

A tender album from saxophonist David Sills, also of the Acoustic Jazz Quartet. The L.A. player attempts to find the mythic perfect spontaneous solo throughout, bringing along a collection of like-minded players for the same goal. The pieces chosen are an interesting mix of Sills' original work, standards from around the horn, and a few from other contemporary players (primarily the rest of the band). The songs allow a decent range to showcase their talents, however, from slow and contemplative pieces like the title track to the more updated, melodic "It's All You." The standards may be one of the weaker points here in comparison to the originals, though Sills evokes Stan Getz beautifully on Tom Jobim's "If You Never Come to Me." It's in the originals that the band really gets to show off, crooning its way through the bars and playing off one another a little tentatively, but well. This is a more mature sound for Sills compared to some of his previous albums, but the range of styles is almost stretching it too far at times. Go for the earlier albums first to see his abilities, and then to this album to hear the development.