Resilience

This is a surprisingly erratic set that ranges from inspired to insipid. The Catz in the Hatz is a mostly straight-ahead quartet that features the singing of Steve Johnson. On its best selections, a medium-tempo "Nature Boy," a CTI-type re-creation of Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower" and "Killer Joe," the music swings in a happy fashion. Unfortunately there are also an excess of turkeys on this set, particularly "My Funny Valentine," "One for My Baby," "It Was a Very Good Year" (why is that song ever revived?), a forgettable version of "Fever" and "Fur Elise." Mike Cross is a fine pianist but his electric keyboards often sound cheesy, particularly when they try to emulate strings. Johnson's singing is fine on the swinging material but sounds loungey on the ballads. So Resilence is very much a mixed bag, going from fun party music to schlock. There is half of an excellent set on this CD.