Vincent Herring can certainly preach with his horn – a deeply soulful version of alto sax that gets plenty of room to open up and speak its message here – working through a set of long, lovely tracks with really great support! The group's a quartet – with Cyrus Chestnut on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums – instantly hitting that kind of a groove that really makes Herring sound his best – a level of accompaniment he doesn't always get on record – but when he does, on a set like this, it reminds us all over again how much we can love his music when it finds the right sound! There's a solidity here that makes the record one of Herring's best in years – and titles include "Dudli's Dilemma", "Ojos De Rojo", "Granted", "Preaching To The Choir", "Minor Swing", "Fried Pies", and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life". CD

Not the first album we've heard from saxophonist Michael Thomas, but a record that definitely has us looking at his music all over again – thanks to a double-length collection of wonderfully extended tunes – on which Thomas really runs with bold, open energy on the alto sax! The group here has no piano – just the trumpet of Jason Palmer in the frontline, plus bass from Hans Glawischnig and drums from Johnathan Blake – two rhythm players who bring plenty to the table, but sometimes like to let the horns to the swinging – which Thomas and Palmer do in these nicely blocky passages of sound. All tunes are originals by the leader – and titles include "Fox & Cat", "Dr Teeth", "Framework", "Chant", "Underground", "Event Horizon", and "Distance". CD