John Swana - Bright Moments [CD]

For his tenth Criss Cross date as a leader, trumpeter John Swana presents his first twin-tenor sextet. Swana, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Grant Stewart, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington have intersected on many occasions, but never together in a group. Bright Moments focuses largely on original material with a couple of standards thrown in for good measure; but the writing is so captivating, the performances so attention-grabbing, that it feels like an album of well-known songs. The ever-inventive Swana creates here challenging contexts for his sextet, with an emphasis on hard-swinging and refined balladry.