Over the past two decades, London-born New York-resident saxophonist Will Vinson has become one of the more interesting sidemen on the US scene, with that elusive balance of sweet and sour in his playing, but for his sixth solo release, it’s Vinson the composer and band leader that comes to the fore, with a set of cleverly sinuous originals designed to draw the best from his fellow musicians.
It helps when your collaborators are some of the most fearless and inventive improvisers on the US scene, including pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Jeff Ballard, but even in this company, it is Vinson who shines, both for the originality of the ideas, and the warmth and feeling with which he expresses them.
