The Insider, the debut CD by veteran Chicago tenor saxophonist Jim Gailloreto, starts out similar in intent to Greg Osby's St. Louis Shoes, which was recorded around the same period, although the projects were quite independent of each other. For the first five selections, Gailloreto recasts veteran standards in modern settings, altering the chords, sometimes playing out of tempo and making the tunes sound quite a bit different than expected. This is particularly true of "Four Brothers," "I Want to Be Happy," and a spacy "Mood Indigo." The second half of the program has Gailloreto and his quintet exploring two of the leader's originals, a Beethoven theme, a song from pianist-organist Steve Million, and Sam Rivers' "Beatrice." Gailloreto has a strong sound of his own and interacts comfortably with the other musicians, with some fine solos taken by Million and guitarist John McLean (who sometimes sounds a bit like Bill Frisell). This continually surprising yet generally relaxed set is well worth checking out.
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