Ron Holloway & Friends (Live At Montpelier)

Live At Montpelier is derived from a three-hour concert recorded by tenor saxophonist Ron Holloway in the spring of 2002. He is accompanied by two different bands and covers such funk and jazz standards as Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" and "Cantaloupe Island," in addition to Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," and Miles Davis' "All Blues." Joined by special guest vocalist, Julia Nixon, on "At Last," the blues standard made famous by Etta James, this recording faithfully captures the masterful ambience of the performance. Holloway's robust, full-bodied saxophone tones are reminiscent of his major influence — Sonny Rollins — but there is no doubt that Holloway has managed to inject a variety of jazz's historical influences into this great performance. His top-to-bottom command of the saxophone is quite apparent on this date and the notes emanating from it are straight-ahead and in the pocket. From the sounds of the thunderous applause and encore, it might not be a bad idea to add this to your collection of great live performances.