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Title: Don Byas can play.
Review: One of Monk's highest compliments was that simple: "He can play" ... with emphasis on the last word. What's often said of Byas, that at certain (faster) tempi his playing collapses, is simply untrue of this recording. True, most of the selections in this album are medium grooves, but the occasional faster gait doesn't leave Byas gasping for breath. And his sound! Chocolate. A chocolate tenor saxophone.At first, the Coleman Hawkins' influence is almost overbearing. But, with continued listening, Byas' own idiosyncrasies surface; some of his long tones and subtle adjustments of sound mark him as different from Hawk and also reveal, to this listener's ears, the reason Sonny Rollins always listed Byas as one of his favorites.Five stars for the music, four for the album (cd) because it's so darned short. But worth the outrageous price, what with original cover art and fine remastering. Cheers.
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