Brad Leali

Brad Leali's second TCB CD (and third as a leader) is an impressive outing, very much in the tradition of Dizzy Gillespie's best Afro-Cuban jazz big bands, though the alto saxophonist has very much found his own voice. The leader's "Special K" proves to be a potent opener, though Jon Faddis' solo is strangely mixed in the background rather than being prominent like Leali's sizzling alto. His title track begins with a narrative argument between him and a female who is evidently departing, which gets a bit tiresome but fades as a swinging samba brings in the full band. The great Frank Foster arranged Leali's "Priority Soul," a slinky soul-jazz number, while Claus Raible revives the late Lee Morgan's overlooked hard bop gem "Seconds Best" with a percolating chart. Tommy James' inventive scoring of "The Pink Panther" is a bit darker than in its typical settings but swings like mad, driven by the superb brass and reed ensemble work. This is a fun session and it should be of great interest to fans of Latin jazz and bop. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide