Tenor saxophonist Dan St. Marseille switches to clarinet-the instrument of his youth-for this varied straightahead set. Bubbly swingers and New Orleans classics rub elbows with tunes by Herbie Hancock and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and St. Marseille sounds like a natural on all of them, displaying breezy confidence and faultless phrasing. A percolating rhythm section frames him nicely, especially on the many upbeat numbers. And St. Marseille sounds terrific opposite pianist Chris Dawson on “Because It’s There,” a Lennie Tristano-inspired reworking of “Out of Nowhere” that starts and ends in a unison freefall.
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