Adam Niewood, the son of former
Chuck Mangione saxophonist
Gerry Niewood, proves to be an excellent soloist on his debut as a leader. He has attractive tones on tenor and soprano and contributes six melodic originals. Pianist
Eric Lewis actually takes solo honors on many of the songs (his spot on "Nervous Brunch" is a high point) since he is a very complete player and is several years ahead of
Niewood, but the leader fares well; in addition, his father has a couple guest appearances. The music ranges from the catchy "Shorty's Shuffle" and
the Beatles' "And I Love Her" to
Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio" and a two-tenor jam by
the Niewoods on "Heard That Before," which is based on the first part of "Cherokee" but alternates its choruses between two different keys.
Adam Niewood particularly excels on the more modern material such as
Eric Lewis' "Hopscotch" and the raging "Blues for Ball." He shows plenty of potential throughout this enjoyable set, which is well worth picking up. ~ Scott Yanow