Latest releases reviewed

Spirits Alike Double Moon ***

The Leaders are original co-founders Chico Freeman (tenor/soprano) and Cecil McBee (bass), with Arthur Blythe, Lester Bowie, Kirk Lightsey and Famadou Don Moye replaced by Bobby Watson (alto), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Fred Harris (piano) and Billy Hart (drums). They tilt the idiomatic balance towards hard bop and away from the band's astringently adventurous approach of a couple of decades ago. It's still a fine group, with good original material and well-structured arrangements. Henderson, so Milesian when he uses a mute, reinforces the retro feel, but all the soloists are consistent; in fact they're at their best when asked to play over minimal chord changes, notably on the title track and the band's finest outing, Alas Poor John, where the whole performance is built on a simple bass figure. Hard bop fans should love it. www.musicconnection.org.uk - Ray Comiskey

Gatto, who wrote all but one of the pieces here, is a drummer who can set the tone and character of a band's performance by interaction, rather than domination; like Paul Motian, he adds colour and texture. And though he can drive a band ferociously, the more lyrical side of the group's music is mostly on show here, albeit with touches of Monk's sardonic fun on Monkish and Traps. His core quartet of Daniele Tittarelli (alto/soprano), Luca Mannutza (piano) and Luca Bulgarelli (bass), are impressively flexible, both as soloists and ensemble players (guitar is added on a couple of tracks). They make a remarkably cohesive band, equally persuasive on the rubato passages of Weill's Was zahlen Sie, or the all-rubato North, as they are forging through the uptempo angularities of Catch the Drumsor steadily building tension on the slow medium Flow. http://uk.hmboutique.com - Ray Comiskey

Zoot Sims plays tenor & 4 altos Fresh Sound ***

Reissue of two long-unavailable mid-1950s Sims sessions with, on one, composer/arranger/pianist George Handy setting Zoot the challenge of overdubbing a four-alto ensemble with a Handy rhythm section; Zoot played the themes and took the solos on alto, and Handy harmonised the thematic parts and, where possible, the solos. It works brilliantly, because Zoot was energised by the concept and Handy wrote so deftly; the result was an ebulliently swinging, four-star session by any standard. The companion date, made a few weeks earlier with Nick Travis (trumpet) and a different bassist and drummer, doesn't reach the same creative level. Travis was a better than merely dependable improviser, but without the spark that could raise a performance to something higher. But Zoot, as always, was Zoot. www.freshsoundrecords.com - Ray Comiskey