Larry Hollis - Cadence

Review of Doug White's Esplanade

Cadence, November 1999
Vol. 25 No. 11

Saxophonist Doug White was an unknown name to me before hearing his work on Esplanade. The same can be said for his backing musicians except for Greg Bandy, whose name I’ve seen listed in credits. Judging from the photos on the cover booklet, his battered Selmer tenor would do Zoot Sims proud. The usually sound better that way, I know my old King Super 20 does. No biographical information is included, so I have none to offer but from his sound he is certainly no novice. Other than Scott LaFaro’s "Gloria’s Step," the Johnny Green chestnut, "Time On My Hands" by Vincent Youmans, Lucky Thompson’s seldom-played "Translation" and "Sleeping Beauty" by guitarist/co-producer Chris Bergson, White composed the music. All of the originals are catchy and so extremely listenable it would be difficult to single out and favorites specifically. Two waltz-time selections are examined, the title tune is a medium-walker, "Nutsy" is uptempo and slightly Monkish, drumster Bandy gets to flex on "Bandyville" and "So Long, Twentieth Century" is a long-lined blues ballad with a bridge. White and Bergson connect together as tightly as Rosenwinkel and Kahan bond on the preceeding album ["Intuition," Criss Cross 1160]. The leader has obviously studied the great swing-based tenormen up to the late Stan Getz and Bergson is straight out of the Kessel/Farlow/Raney axis and deserves a date of his own. There’s nothing old fashioned sounding on this platter packed with fresh ideas and skillful musicianship from some names that need to be better known. Recommended.

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