Don Braden - The New Hang

Tenor saxophonist Don Braden's 2004 release looks very much back to the 1960s stylewise, even though most of the songs are recent originals. The tenor/trombone front line with Conrad Herwig is a little reminiscent of The Jazz Crusaders, Braden's "No Complaints" sounds similar to the Art Blakey recording of "Blues March," and in general the music falls squarely into the worlds of hard bop and soul-jazz. However, that does not mean that the music is stale or overly predictable. Braden has a big tone and a fluent improvising style, trombonist Herwig is quite versatile, organist Kyle Koehler is both in the tradition and fairly individual, and drummer Cecil Brooks Iii always keeps the momentum moving. Fans of the idiom will definitely enjoy this spirited set. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide