Geoff Vidal

Although She Likes That is his debut recording, Geoff Vidal already sounds like a veteran. The New Orleans-turned-New York saxophonist organized an ensemble of young musicians for the session who balance individual skill with group cohesion. They play like with focus, punctuating the flow of their rhythms with swift melodic solos and tempo shifts, moving with great confidence through the varying moods of Vidal's compositions. With the recordings of Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins to guide him, Vidal wrestles on She Likes That with how to relate jazz to the contemporary world without compromising its essence.