It seemed a matter of time before Walter Smith III would emerge at the Blue Note label. He had previously played saxophone for Blue Note artists such as
Ambrose Akinmusire and
James Francies. Names that, like Smith III, are among the top of contemporary American jazz and, in that way, also give the old Blue Note back its status of authority. Akinmusire and Francies play as guests on Return To Casual,
… alongside the quintet that includes Blue Note artist Kendrick Scott (drums) and Mathew or Matt Stevens (guitar), with whom Smith III leads the project-based group In Common. Return To Casual contains exactly what you might expect from this stellar lineup: whimsical but smoothly played post-bop. With his clear, almost wooden and vibrato-less sound, Smith III leads his band tightly in all directions, without getting lost for a moment in deliberate complexity. (MR)more
