Album

Not a wasted bar here. Weekly residents of New York’s Birdland, this jazz big band is about action and arrangements that build and build. All is tight and punchy, and the solos deliver. Tommy Igoe drives it all with a sharp crack of the whip. He’s got mucho chops and knows the right places to use them. And he wisely prefers to solo within the band’s framework, launching some big payoffs. When he and fireball guest percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos lock their crosshairs, especially on Afro-Cuban numbers, the groove seriously ramps. Igoe implies the title’s a Spinal Tap-ism. Think about it. (Deep Rhythm Music)

Jeff Potter