David Sanborn

With alto saxist David Sanborn, you pretty much know what to expect: bluesy licks played with a searing tone that endears him to many fans. But it's the unremitting Swiss watch precision of his eighth-note onslaughts that give pause: is this guy playing from some place personally real or has he, in the words of Louis B. Mayer, learned to '"fake sincerity"? Regardless, this live set is his working band at the time, which includes long-time sideman/guitarist Hiram Bullock and keyboard icon Larry Willis. Opening with a smoking version of "Hideaway," Sanborn roars into "I Told U So," which keeps the energy flowing. But when "friend" Ricky Lee Jones comes on board the soul train to deliver a Betty Carter-inspired version of "Autumn Leaves," things get derailed to dullsville. Bullock's rambling guitar medley of un-credited "Con Alma" and "Here's That Rainy Day" seems thrown in as filler. This features good playing but mediocre concert pacing.