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Doug Webb: Sets The Standard
Doug Webb
saxophonePianist
Alan Broadbent
pianob.1947
Although everything hangs together nicely as a whole, the listener is advised not to get too comfortable, or let his/her attention lapse. Things change. In tandem, Webb and Broadbent make music that isn't dense or particularly busy, but is filled with arresting details and minute alterations of shade and texture. To cite an extreme example, "Chelsea Bridge" ranges from Broadbent's ethereal introduction to Webb's explosive cadenza.
Throughout the quartet tracks, bassist Putter Smith and drummer Paul Kreibich (whose smooth brushwork is exceptional) round out the band in fine fashion. This is not a group comprised of edgy, competing voices; rather, mutual respect rules, and —especially on "Trouble Is A Man"—it's a pleasure to hear each instrument operate in its own space. In the course of "Jitterbug Waltz," Smith's foundational bass line is every bit as important in the overall scheme of things as Broadbent's and the leader's solos.
The link between recent recordings in which Webb often improvises in a driven, extroverted manner and his comparatively relaxed work on Sets The Standard is the sophisticated way the saxophonist arranges his ideas. Regardless of the setting there's always continuity, design and purpose that shuns incomplete thoughts or unrelated fragments. On "These Things" (an "All The Things You Are" contrafact, and the only original composition on the record), Webb's solo is joined to the head, gradually expanding on short, silky melodies somewhat reminiscent of
Paul Desmond
saxophone, alto1924 - 1977
The various ways that Webb, Broadbent, Smith and Kreibich breathe new life into standards is a welcome change from recordings filled with abstract or doctrinaire compositions with little or no connection to real human emotions. Filled with enlightened individual and group expression, Sets The Standard welcomes listeners of all persuasions.
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Track Listing
My Shining Hour; Trouble Is A Man; Star Eyes; Little Girl Blue; These Things; Gone With The Wind; Jitterbug Waltz; Chelsea Bridge; Ask Me Now; I Remember You.
Personnel
Doug Webb
saxophoneDoug Webb: tenor, stritch, soprano sax; Alan Broadbent: piano; Putter Smith: bass; Paul Kreibich: drums.
Album information
Title: Sets The Standard | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: V.S.O.P. Records
Tags
Doug Webb
CD/LP/Track Review
David A. Orthmann
V.S.O.P. Records
Alan Broadbent
Paul Desmond
Sets The Standard
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