" data-original-title="" title="">David Angel would certainly fall into that category, despite a career going back to the 1970s, not only in jazz but in film, television and studio work, in addition to his regular participation in various Southern California symphonies. His 13-piece jazz ensemble wouldn't be a likely candidate for a three-disc retrospective. But that's exactly what is on offer in Out on the Coast: a substantial collection of music, both of Angel's refined compositions and several standards. Recorded just before the COVID pandemic hit California early in 2020, these 22 tracks provide a window into a subtle musical mind and an enticing large-ensemble embodiment of West Coast cool.

Angel's music doesn't reach out and grab the listener. This isn't the Basie band, by any means. But there's plenty of dynamism nevertheless, heard not so much in overt rhythmic energy but in the constant motion of the ensemble itself. Angel gets a big sound out of these 13 members because there's little wasted space. Each arrangement has the intersecting and contrapuntal layers that reward re-listening, with intricate details that need attention to be fully appreciated, precisely because the music insinuates itself rather than coming to a full shout.

The title-track opener is an early Angel composition, with a medium-tempo swing and the hallmark harmonic sophistication reminiscent of