Greg Osby Quintet @ The Jazz Bakery 09.12.08
By George W. Harris

Being without a label after being dumped almost two years ago, alto saxist Greg Osby has shown that, like Presidential candidate John McCain, he should never be counted out. Like the septuagenarian, he’s been a maverick, never aiming to please any one group of people. Finally on a new label, with a brand new recording (“9 Levels”), and a new forward thinking band, Osby, with his golden tone intact, let the audience know that he’s on straight talk express.

Backed by his new band, Michael Pinto/vibes, Gerry Gibbs/dr, Chris Tordini/b and Adam Burnbaum/p his sweet and rich tone filled the room and rode the waves of rhythm on the ebbing and flowing “Tolerance”. Accompanied by Burnbaum’s spacious piano work, his horn swooned on the ballad “I Didn’t Know About You”, while it pierced through the funky and exotic Saharan groove of “Tranya” like sun through the morning fog. As Osby’s alto hopped and clopped to Pinto’s shimmering vibes, Gibbs’ relentless cymbal work and Burnbaum’s floating piano, Tordini’s rock solid bass work kept “Please Stand By” from piercing the ozone layer, just before Osby closed the set with an elegiac and dreamy “Less Tension, Please.” Coming back after being counted for gone, the Wizardry of Osby shined through this night at the Bakery.