The Third Decade Archive
One for All – The Third Decade – Smoke Session
A most welcome return… One for All – The Third Decade – Smoke Session SSR 1605, 66:02 (06/03/16) ****1/2: (Eric Alexander – tenor sax; Jim Rotondi – trumpet; Steve Davis – trombone; David Hazeltine – piano; John Webber – bass; Joe Farnsworth – drums) It’s been over five years since One for All has released a group effort. As this group is made up of some of the finest hard bop players on the scene with the front line horn section each heavily recorded with their own projects (and trumpeter Jim Rotondi spending time in Europe), it was feared that the group had run its course. Not so, as their new CD, Third Decade, is hitting the stores on June 3. This super group has been a favorite of hard bop devotees ever since their first CD was issued on Sharp Nine Records back in 1997. For over twenty years they have set a standard that hearkens back to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. They took their name from Blakey’s last studio album, and their cohesion, tight charts, and ensemble blend as a sextet is spot on. Being New York based they seldom toured but found a home at […]