Dave O’Higgins Quintet - Sketchbook

JAZZ

Sessions featuring two tenor saxophones have been a staple of jazz at least since the heyday of Jazz At The Philharmonic, but can often turn into a rather overbearing display of athletic rather than musical abilities. No such worries here as English saxman Dave O’Higgins teams up with America’s Eric Alexander in an enjoyable and inventive session.

It is a conventional enough date in terms of their approach and choice of material, locked into a fluid bop idiom on a set that mixes original compositions by O’Higgins with material drawn from the bop and post-bop repertory, including Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘Ow!’, Sonny Rollins’ ‘Why Don’t I?’, McCoy Tyner’s ‘Inner Glimpse’ and Frank Wess’ ‘Water Jug’. The two tenor saxophones are supported by a fine rhythm section, led by James Pearson on piano, with Arnie Somogyi on bass and Kristian Leth on drums.