Felipe Salles, Departure, with Randy Brecker

In the land of contemporary jazz the composer-instrumentalist is king. If you can play and you have good compositional ideas, you have a jump on others as a bandleader, it seems. We leave out the avant zone here, where that may not apply. (Composing in a formal sense, that is. Avant players of course have to play well too and they may improvise compositionally without necessarily composing per se.)

Brazilian saxophonist Felipe Salles has both. You can hear that to good end on his album Departure (Tapestry 76020-2). It's a sextet with Randy Brecker showing his good self on trumpet. With occasional part overdub the "head" sections have a fullness that augments the experience in ways that enhance the totality.

Felipe plays a modern tenor (plus soprano, flute and bass clarinet) in a sort of post Michael Brecker way, fluid and ornate in a post-Shorter-Trane mode.

It's a modern hard bop and beyond, prog-eight straight and swing sort of territory. There are progressive elements and harmonic movement to keep things interesting. The compositions have weight and the band digs in well. Kudos are in order for pianist Nando Michelin, who takes some nice solos.

The more I listened, the more I liked, until I just plain liked much. By the way this is Felipe's fifth, so it has definite seasoning. A very good kickoff, here in the second quarter!

Richard Sussman Quintet, Continuum

What is mainstream jazz today? Well not Zoot and Al. It's absorbed that. It's absorbed what Trane and Miles were doing. It has listened to Jarrett, Metheny, Hancock, and what's been going on in general and does something with it. It has a lot of hard bop roots. It swings. And the soloists, if it's done right, take a tradition and extend it in personal ways.

The Richard Sussman Quintet's Continuum (Origin 82618) serves as a very good example. Richard Sussman's accomplished piano, synth and compositions are joined by an impressive lineup of Randy Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Mike Richmond, Jeff Williams and a guest spot for Mike Stern.

They do what they do, and they do it well, of course. The compositions give it a kind of substance that goes beyond a blowing date and into an original contribution.

Now if they would take it out a little...well they do a hair now and again...but no that's not really what this is. It's very good though.