STEVE GROSSMAN "Homecoming" new CD from the underappreciated tenor giant!

A new CD from Japan, showing just how badly American labels and music lovers have fallen. Why on earth would a new recording made in NYC from a giant like Steve Grossman only be released in Japan? I have my feelings, but they run along the lines of plastic disposable culture, voyeuristic shallow celebrity-ism, and the conservatism and living in the past of the genteel middle aged jazz buyers that still remain in the USA.

Grossman first cam up in Miles Davis' electric band of the early 70's, replacing Wayne Shorter for all intents and purposes. He was a fiery fusion player who mainly wailed on soprano, often got edited out by Miles and Teo, never really was accepted by Miles, and went on to be in Elvin Jones band in a two horn front line with Dave Liebman. Stints with others followed, but drug problems marred his career (coke mostly as I recall) and he disappeared from the scene, re-emerging some years later in Europe to make a fine string of records where he dropped the soprano and became a tenor player of outstanding technique that abandoned all fusion trappings and favored a straight ahead, highly advanced hard bop style. During his dark period, Grossman's tenor technique took massive steps forward, to the point where he is today among, if not the, best tenor players in the world.

But nobody on this side of the Atlantic knows about it.

So a recording by Steve Grossman in 2010, with a New York band backing him made on his home soil is just a great event, on a par with Dexter Gordon's late 70's homecoming.

And a wonderful record it is.

Grossman expands his sound by adding latin percussion to most tracks, guitar and/or trumpet on a few, along with a strong core trio backing plucked from New York's A-list. The material is largely standards with two Grossman originals. Tunes like Ceora, Una Mas and others are given a latin treatment, with hard straight ahead blowing by Grossman that demonstrate a deep technique, big brawny tone and the type of soloing that gives whoever is up next an energy and and emotional lift that is pure excitement. The lone ballad, an unsentimental take on In A Sentimental Way,shows just how good a straight bopper can be on a ballad if he doesn't try to be a soppy Ben Webster.

Grossman is a giant, yet largely forgotten. Search out this CD (I got mine from HMV Japan) and be rewarded. If I have any reservations at all, it's that Steve Grossman's live NYC appearances last summer were simply red hot, and I hope that some of those were recorded also. In the meantime, this is a very, very welcome return.