Stan Killian - Unified (2011)
Jazz | MP3 320 kbps CBR | 53 min | 122 MB
Label: Sunnyside Records | Rel: 2011
Unified is tenor saxophonist Stan Killian's third album and his debut for the Sunnyside label. It's high-quality, straight-ahead modern jazz, played with a real swing by Killian and his band, and enlivened by the contributions of three top-drawer guest horn players. Leader/composer Killian hails from Texas, home of Texas tenors like Arnett Cobb and Illinois Jacquet. Killian's own sound certainly has a big, wide open, feel to it but there's a gentleness there as well, a warmth and friendliness of tone. Venezuelan pianist Benito Gonzalez has a lightness of touch that enables him to create some delicate but swinging solos, as well as some finely tuned rhythms. Killian and Gonzalez play on all seven tunes, interlacing their instrumental lines with a skill and confidence that suggests a longstanding musical relationship.