AMG Review of New Gold

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

Bud Shank assembled a pianoless sextet made up of West Coast musicians for this 1993 studio date, including a front line consisting of the alto saxophonist and leader with trumpeter Conte Candoli, tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Perkins, baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz, and a rhythm section that includes bassist and composer John Clayton and drummer Sherman Ferguson. The playing is crisp, the ensembles are a joy to hear, and the solos are consistently adventurous. "Port Townsend" is a lively post-bop vehicle that opens the session, featuring a strong solo by Candoli. The leader contributed the somewhat exotic "Perkolator" (a feature for Perkins' soprano sax) and the pretty ballad "Linda." But it is Clayton's charts that threaten to steal the show, including the strutting "Alternate Root," the bittersweet "Let Me Tell You Why," which has some almost mournful solos by Shank, and the funky blues "Funcused Blues." There are also impressive performances of jazz standards by Thelonious Monk and Benny Golson. Unfortunately, this CD was deleted with the demise of the initial revival of the Candid label.