PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
CD - EAN 724358169928
With St Louis Shoes, the restlessly inventive Greg Osby takes a familiar format--the standards/favourite tunes collection--and brings it to full creative boil. As always with the alto saxophonist, there's a concept unifying the material--in this case his development from a St Louis phenomenon into an East Coast professional.

The album opens with a richly harmonised, progressively modern reading of Duke Ellington's classic "East St Louis" and closes with a melodically compelling overhaul of WC Handy's "St Louis Blues". In between, basking in some of trumpeter Nicholas Payton's best playing on record, Osby reflects his roots in the bebop of Bird, Diz, Monk and his emergence as a proponent of Brooklyn's funk-informed M-Base sound, deconstructing "Summertime" to audacious effect. His quintet includes young pianist Harold O'Neal, who in replacing the flagrantly gifted Jason Moran reveals terrific potential of his own. --Lloyd Sachs