Search - Junior Cook :: Somethin's Cookin

Lo-carb cuisine

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 03/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I know a couple of saxophonists who don't think much of Junior Cook (who does? he's practically unknown, aside from being a "role player" on Horace Silver's pop jazz recordings). This Cook serving should disabuse others of being too quick to dismiss Junior's creations. Don't confuse it with the earlier "Good Cookin'," a fairly innocuous, sophomoric date. "Somethin's Cookin" is a different dish--from Junior's solid and sensitive solo work to the admirable support of the all-star rhythm section to the song selections to the beautifully balanced sound (wish I could say the same for all recordings on the curiously uneven Muse label).Junior is the epitome of the "no-nonsense" modernist. His rhythm is symmetrical and his articulations clean, revealing his indebtedness to Sonny Stitt. But his note choices are thoughtful and economical--tasty morsels more redolent of Lester than either Stitt or Coltrane. His sound is robust--"masculine" but not to the point of being testerone-soaked or overcompensating. Unlike lesser players, his tone is his medium, not his message. Admittedly, I haven't heard everything by Junior, but this is the best of what I've come across. His farewell session, "You Leave Me Breathless"--as heroic as it is--is definitely not up to the level of artistry in evidence on "Somethin's Cookin'.""