Sherman Irby - Full Circle (1996/2019)

The 1996 release Full Circle from altoist Sherman Irby is mostly quite relaxed, with the majority of the selections being taken at slower tempos. Even John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" is interpreted as a relaxed waltz. Irby has a warm and soulful sound on alto while being quite skillful at improvising over complex chord changes. A change of pace on this generally introspective set takes place on "Wee," an up-tempo bebop jam with Charlie Persip taking Dana Murray's place on drums. Otherwise, Irby is joined by Murray, the fine piano soloist James Hurt, and bassist Eric Revis throughout a thought-provoking program of originals.