Recorded in 1980 but not released until 2004,
Vintage Stonejazz features a medium-sized combo led by drummer Gene Stone and pianist Kent Glenn. The eight songs, all band originals (half by Glenn and one each by various others, including tenor saxophonist Vince Wallace's sprightly showcase "Spansulation") are straight-ahead West Coast jazz, melodic and unfailingly pleasant, with a slight Latin influence in spots. Well-played by all and unfailingly tuneful, but in the end not particularly earth-shattering in the least,
Vintage Stonejazz will not require a top to bottom reconsideration of the state of West Coast jazz circa 1980, but it's a highly enjoyable curio from the period. ~ Stewart Mason