1. Fathead
2. Nardis
3. The Vista
4. In A Sentimental Mood
5. The Third Fish
6. Thelonius
7. The Deep End
Chris Lee - Trumpet
Mike Hobart - Saxophones
Danny Keane - Keyboards
Sven Atterton - Bass guitar
Boukie - Drums
Reviewing this CD was no easy task. When I opened the CD case, it fell to bits in my hand. The back page of the sleeve containing personnel and recording information is printed in white on a sludge background. It required a magnifying glass to read it. None of the tune titles have any composer credits (probably a breach of copyright).
A Google search revealed that Hobart is British-based, has played with the likes of Esther Phillips and Maceo Parker, and has been influenced by Miles Davis and latter-day Blue Note recordings.
Two of the tunes - Davis's Nardis and Ellington's In A Sentimental Mood - are well-known. I assume the others are originals. Hobart plays tenor sax throughout - as far I can tell - in a big, braying, bustling style that frequently descends into honking and squeaking which he may think is fun, but is tedious for the listener. Lee plays trumpet in a more thoughtful and fluent style with particularly fine solos on The Vista and In A Sentimental Mood. Nardis begins with an electronic mish-mash before the familiar theme is heard. Keane plays both acoustically (probably on a keyboard rather than an actual piano) and electronically. Fathead is pleasantly jaunty but the title track is an overlong, indulgent piece of (mainly) free form backed by thrashing percussion.
There's clearly some talent in this band but, in my opinion, they need to think harder about presentation in all its aspects. Could do better (as it used to say on my school reports).
George Stacy
CD Reviews
Anotherworldmusic 
