Philadelphia born, saxophonist Carl Wolfe came to call Memphis his home after being stationed nearby while serving in the Navy. His quartet includes musicians who are regulars on the Memphis jazz scene-bassist Tim Goodwin, keyboardist Tony Thomas, and drummer Don Patterson. The material is written and arranged by Wolfe and leans towards the urban contemporary sound-a romantic yet too stiff to be soulful style. In fact, what Wolfe puts forth may be too “contemporary” for jazz fans, yet too jazz-related for the folks from the Kenny G school. The gospel spirit of “Memphis Bound,” and the funkier “That’s the Ticket” gets closer but then again, it’s fairly well stifled by the rigidity of the drumming.
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