Putting a sax in front of an organ trio is nothing new, but what about a bari sax? Honoring the much-neglected Hammond B-3 ace Don Patterson, bari master Gary Smulyan has found a winning combination with Mike LeDonne (organ), Peter Bernstein (guitar), and Kenny Washington (drums) on his new Smul’s Paradise. The eight tracks of swinging grooves include two from Patterson, three originals including Smul’s tribute, “Blues for D.P,” and three covers, including one from frequent cohort George Coleman.

 

The set opens with Bobby Herb’s spinning, joyful “Sunny,” the longest track and a great introduction to the many facets of the bari sax. Patterson’s works include the soulful, Cannonball-esque “Up in Betty’s Room” which features a lightly prancing LeDonne and the limber, tenor-like gymnastics of Smulyan; “Aires” (co-written with Sonny Stitt) initially suggests the balladic Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins had they moved down to bari, while solos from Bernstein and LeDonne gild the track with bit of homespun blues.

 

The title of Coleman’s “Little Miss Half-Steps” spells out the boppish form that provides a playground for Smulyan’s slippery phrasing, here punctuated by popping insertions from Washington; the drummer also elevates Peewee Ellis’ “Pistaccio,” given it an almost Latin groove beneath Smulyan’s and Bernstein’s ever-elegant maneuvers.

 

Smulyan’s title track showcases Bernstein and LeDonne as much as the composer himself, all swinging hard from the heart and sharing the lead as a formidable team. LeDonne in particular recapitulates the acrobatic lines of the horn as the full ensemble winds its way through “paradise;” Washington drops a series of small bombs in connecting the leading voices. “Blues for D.P.” is the bluest journey of the set, Smulyan digging deep and reaching high, swinging all the way and opening the gate for some very tasteful organ work. The closing “Heavenly Hours” seems closely based on “My Shining Hour,” taking Harold Arlen above mere mortal blowing with a bari-drum workout, one of the album’s highlights.

 

It’s a short distance from “Heavenly Hours” to Paradise a la Gary Smulyan.