PAPATAMUS REDUX

SAVANT 2228  (RELEASED NOVEMBER 7)

NOTE: Realizing that drummer Brandon Sanders once played college basketball I decided to load this review with various basketball terms. Hope you catch them all!

As a walk-on basketball player for the University of Kansas, Brandon Sanders understood the importance of “covering a lot of ground.”  He does the very same thing as a drummer and leader on Lasting Impression. With assists from vibraphonist Warren Wolf, who appeared on his earlier two releases; flexible and soulful saxophonist Stacy Dillard; fluid and fleet pianist Eric Reed; and bassist Eric Wheeler, who accompanied him on his debut release in 2023, Sanders covers everything from ballads to blues and standards to straight-ahead swingers on Lasting Impression. The one-on-one musical interaction between Wolf and Dillard is showcased on Bobby Hutcherson’s angular “8/4.”  They conjure up memories of some of my favorite Hutcherson and Harold Land sessions on the title track and “Tales of Mississippi,” both straight-ahead blues composed by Sanders; and the funkiness of Reed’s “No BS for B.S.,” which is held together with Wheeler’s swaggering bass lines. Dillard takes center court on Mal Waldron’s “Soul Eyes,” delivering all the pathos and soulfulness that tune deserves. Wolf and Dillard head to the bench as the trio of Reed, Wheeler and Sanders bounce through the sly simplicity of Reed’s “Shadoboxing.” Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn joins the team for an inspired version of George & Ira Gershwin’s “Our Love is Here To Stay.” Her horn-like vocal style is teamed well with Wheeler during a brief vocal/bass duo near the end of the tune. Through it all, Sanders demonstrates his swinging tastefulness, refraining from any bombastic and unwarranted drum solos.  For example, on “8/4,” he opts to propel the band by adding his rhythmic touch over a closing vamp rather than grandstanding with a solo.  My only issue with the entire session is the final track — Stevie Wonder’s “Until You Come Back to Me,” on which Horn trades her classic jazz vocal style for a more commercial soul/pop sound accompanied by Sanders, pianist Ameen Saleem and bassist Tyler Bullock. It’s totally out of place on a session that, up until that point, is full of swing and straight-ahead jazz. Although Lasting Impression may not break any new ground, the ground it does cover (except for the foul on the last track), reflects dedicated players who find joy in keeping the jazz tradition bouncing!

BOTTOM LINE:  For his third release in a period of two years, drummer Brandon Sanders continues to surround himself with players who share his passion for straight-ahead jazz
that in his words “make people snap their fingers and bob their heads.” They succeed except for the totally unnecessary vocal version of Stevie Wonder’s “Until You Come Back to Me.”