I’ve been listening a lot to the recent release by Alto Saxophonist, Producer and Arranger Steve Slagle. It's called Nascentia(Panorama Records) . It features a song-cycle of mostly new compositions by Slagle. He leads a first rate sextet on this record that includes Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Clark Gayton on trombone, Bruce Barth on piano, Jason Tiemann on drums, and Ugonna Okegwo on bass. Slagle plays alto saxophone. He’s been a key part of the Mingus Big Band since 1993, and he has played, arranged and produced music over the years for Lionel Hampton, Carla Bley, and Joe Lovano, among others. If you are looking for energetic, straight-ahead saxophone-led combo work that recalls some of the best of the post-bop era but totally of our own century, check it out. We've been playing various cuts from Nascentia on Mainstream and Modern, Sunday nights at 8pm on Jazz 91.9 WCLK. We'll kick off this week's program with All Up In It.
