Tenor saxophonist Leo Richardson has been raising eyebrows around the scene for some time now, notably in the Late Late Show at Ronnie Scott’s, but biding his time about making his first album. I’ve just played it twice, end to end, and I can’t remember hearing a more impressive debut. The energy of it is quite ferocious at times, but all under control and technically perfect. That goes for the whole band, Rick Simpson, Mark Lewandowski and Ed Richardson (piano, bass, drums), and guest soloists Quentin Collins (trumpet) and Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone). The style is hard bop, but music as good as this is beyond category.
