Doing All Right

Tenor saxophonist Keith Oxman's eighth CD is one that solidifies his place as a solid if not unspectacular post-Sonny Rollins player. He's got a lean, mean approach to the big horn tunefully based at the bottom, with a range of expressions that are fairly serious without being either ribald or outside the box. With a rhythm trio featuring the fine pianist Marc Sabatella, Oxman rolls through this swing-oriented modern jazz batting nary an eyelash, passing on standards, for the most part, to present original material solidly grounded in straight-ahead music. At his best, Oxman swings "For Darcy & Lenny" in bop style with a happy face and no frills, he plays unison lines with Sabatella — who also composed this track — during "All Dudes" in an upbeat blues-to-bop shuffle, and jumps right into modal bop for the excellent hard swinger "Dial M for McMahill," replete with Charles Mingus-like pedal points and sharp flourishes. Another fine Sabatella original, "Pinwheel" is a pure soul-jazz funk tune in the Les McCann mold, "Sir Thomas" goes off the path in a Thelonious Monk-like off-kilter melody by Oxman, and Latin sounds are embraced for the light, swaying bossa "Thiago," and the sexy calypso "Encountering Maestro Elias." There's an effortless sax/piano duet of the Gershwin brothers, "I Was Doing All Right" (sic), and Oxman's beautiful and patient solo treatment of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" that might prelude an entire future project sans rhythm section that could work easily. A sensible musician with his chops in check and his head on straight, it is amazing that Keith Oxman has recorded with so little fanfare. While not a magnum opus, this album shows without a doubt that he's on the right track toward making inroads as a talent deserving wider recognition. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi