Eric Marienthal - Got You Covered! (2005)

It has long been a well-known "secret" that altoist Eric Marienthal, who is best known for his association with Chick Corea's Elektric Band and with his own groups, is a great straight-ahead jazz player, too. He has made occasional guest spots through the years and shown that he is a more versatile player than originally expected. For Got You Covered, Marienthal desired to record a set live in the studio, and he utilized some of his favorite musicians, with guest pianist Chick Corea playing a duet with Marienthal on "My One and Only Love." Unfortunately, Marienthal mostly plays it safe, not digging very far into these songs beyond their melodies. It is pretty unusual getting to hear him play "I've Got the World on a String" and "Moody's Mood for Love," but the latter is a note-for-note re-creation of James Moody's original solo and nothing more. Everything about this set comes across as safe and unadventurous. The overall results are pleasant and reasonably pleasing as background music, but Eric Marienthal is capable of much more. -- Scott Yanow