In the late 1980s and early '90s, the
Leaders was a part-time all-star group consisting of trumpeter
Lester Bowie, tenor saxophonist
Chico Freeman, altoist
Arthur Blythe, pianist
Kirk Lightsey, bassist
Cecil McBee and drummer
Don Moye. The new
Leaders only retains
Freeman and
McBee, with trumpeter
Eddie Henderson succeeding the late
Bowie and altoist
Bobby Watson, the lesser-known but talented pianist Fred Harris and drummer
Billy Hart taking the places of
Blythe,
Lightsey and
Moye. While
Bowie in particular is missed,
Eddie Henderson does a good job of filling in, and the new
Leaders are of the same high quality as the original group. The music, all originals from bandmembers, ranges from advanced hard bop to hints of the avant-garde, from bluesy material to a pair of duets by
Freeman and
McBee.
Watson and
Freeman in particular consistently take solo honors although all of the musicians fare well. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow