Shades of Soprano Summit! Here, we meet an exuberant troika of reeds manned by Allan Vache, Antti Sarpila and Ken Peplowski blowing up a storm on such venerable fare as “Royal Garden Blues,” “A Shanty in Old Shanty Town” and “Bye, Bye Blues.” With stylish backing from pianist Mark Shane, bassist Len Skeat and drummer Joe Ascione, the three horns tear things apart with a musicality that’s pinpoint precise in intonation, phrasing and tonal blend.
The rousing opener, an exuberant rundown of “Original Dixieland One Step,” recalls the hot Chicago tradition with an ear-grabbing front line of clarinet, soprano and tenor mixing it up. In “What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry,” which calls for three clarinets, Vache, Sarpila and Peplowski opine at leisure. For unabashed swing, the Christian/Goodman standard, “Air Mail Special,” skylarks with abandon. There are also moving ballads such as Peplowski’s warm shading of “These Foolish Things.” In all, a happy and eminently satisfying session. Yeah!
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