It won't frighten the horses, Tony Kofi's low-key, astute ruminations on that baritone sax as he and The Organisation essay a bundle of standards, including McCoy Tyner's Search for Peace, Jimmy Smith's Ready and Able, Pat Martino's Cisco, Henry Mancini's Theme from Mr Lucky and Horace Silver's Summer in Central Park.
Who wants their horses frightened anyway? This is unpretentious music, treated with careful fidelity to the originals, as interpreted by Kofi and his friends, guitarist Simon Fernsby, Peter Whittaker, Hammond organ specialist and drummer Peter Cater.
They work like natural buddies together and dream up a pleasant sound. Wes Montgomery's Full House coasts along effervescently, Fernsby teasing out some hard-nut little licks and the mellifluous Kofi on song. The Organisation go back over 15 years to Fernsby's Manhattan project sessions which animated South London jazz fans in the 2000s. Kofi, whose parents came from Ghana, plays alto, baritone and tenor saxes as well as flute, though only the baritone sax on this occasion - one senses somehow a comprehensive embracing of diverse musicianship. He has worked with Donald Byrd, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray and Harry Connick jnr and knows his way around studio and stage.
In sum, Kofi and company tip along nimbly and adroitly in their own well-oiled groove. By the closer - Smith's aforementioned Ready and Able - you may just need to put it on again.
www.tonykofimusic.com
