A promising debut album from a graduate of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music who has toured with names such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joe Farnsworth and the Mingus Big Band.
Among Giants is described as a passionate declaration of Hanahan's dedication to pushing the music forward while also honouring the past. Admirable intentions which I think she may well fulfil albeit these things do take time.
Certainly her technique is up to the task. Soaring up and beyond Adolph Sax's proscribed range for the alto saxophone, these days high f# seems to be the starting point and the piccolo players have taken to wearing safety helmets, Hanahan's solos sound as logical 'up there' as they do on terra-firma.
Nevertheless, for sheer beauty, the less outré take on the standards A House is Not a Home and Stardust would have been rewarded with a nod of approval from their respective composers, Burt Bacharach and Hoagy Carmichael, and deservedly so.
Ferde Grofé's On the Trail from his Grand Canyon Suite is a number rarely played by jazz musicians these days and it was good to hear this version. Good? It's outstanding and then some!
Coltrane's Welcome initially got a qualified welcome from me. However, a second hearing after the neighbours had gone down to the pub and the volume was turned up helped me get into it a bit more. The jury's still out though.
The four originals: Resonance; NATO; Honey and We Bop capture her avowed intent and the 'in the pocket' rhythm section (dig Watts' solo on We Bop) add to the overall groove making this an album that demands to be checked out. Lance
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Catch Sarah Hanahan with Joe Farnsworth on Wednesday 10 July (The Yard, Manchester) & Sunday 14 July (Ronnie Scott's)!
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