A Whisper In the Midnight

For tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield's second recording as a leader, he gathered the same group of musicians that performed on his first: trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Tarus Mateen, and drummer Clarence Penn, plus added vibraphonist Stefon Harris to perform five Warfield originals, and two standards. "Speak Low" is played as a medium samba-like groove that swings on the bridge, while "Bye Bye Blackbird is played a little slower than usual and features Warfield's full toned tenor. Outside of the CDs opener "Tin Soldier," a Warfield original that opens with a brief horn fanfare and an explosive Penn drum solo, and Warfield's "Prayer For Uthman," which starts out quietly but builds momentum, this is a more relaxed date than A Cool Blue, with Warfield's lyrical writing and playing being the focus of this recording, and Harris' vibes adding more color to the group sound. All in all, a fine step in Warfield's development, although some might like to have heard more of Stafford.