Tenor Combustion

Tenor Combustion is, frankly, a pretty misleading title. Although the quintet lineup features a pair of sterling tenor saxophonists, Vince Wallace and Louis Ciotti, this is not the good old-fashioned blowing session the title implies. Wallace and Ciotti trade off choruses throughout the album, but with an easy, familiar camaraderie that's in perfect keeping with the mellow, laid-back rhythm section led by drummer Gene Stone. The ten tracks are heavy on sax standards like Sonny Rollins' "Movin' Out" and Duke Ellington's "Day Dream," with one band original and a few lesser-known tunes. Overall, Tenor Combustion is an unpretentious, low-key small combo record in the West Coast style; while it's perfect for low-level, casual listening, it doesn't necessarily reward closer concentration.