The relative neglect of the baritone sax can be attributed in part to the horn’s romantic tone in an unsentimental age and its unwieldy unsuitability for playing the double-time passages that became de rigueur for saxophones in post-war jazz.
Fortunately we have musicians like Glenn Wilson to remind us of the horn’s flexibility and enduring worth. On his new live album Timely, Wilson joins forces with trumpeter John D’earth and a crack rhythm section to make compelling jazz in the hard- and post-bop tradition. In other words, the tunes are marked by quirkily perfect harmonic changes and fluent solos that slither into surprising nooks and crannies—but the earthiness of the blues is present at every turn. Highly recommended to fans of Miles Davis’ great quintet of the mid-’60s, the contrapuntal coupling of Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, as well as those who simply hunger for thought-provoking yet foot-tapping music.
