Bman's Blues Report

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Beatin' The Odds , by Leigh Pilzer's Seven Pointer Star , and it's packed with gems. Opening with SKCC , Pilzer's homage to Billy Strahorn's UMMG, Mercedes Beckman on sax and Ally Hany Albrecht on trumpet create the melody line anchored by Amy K Bormet on piano, Sherrie Maricle on drums, and Amy Shook on bass. Albrecht lays down a real nice solo, followed by Beckman on alto and Pilzer on bari who really rips it by the way. A quick solo by Shook brings us back to the melody. Solid opener. Mysterious, The Platinum Taxi , has a dark theme with sax paired with trumpet. A cool bass line by Shook and dark undertones by Jen Krupa on trombone really create the scene. An excellent, fluid sax solo by Pilzer and active drum work by Maricle, chased by Bormet on piano adds to the tension. A soulful trombone solo by Joe Jackson on And Then It Stopped really caught my attention, bouncing on the rhythm of Allyn Johnson...