Todd Coolman: Perfect Strangers
Todd Coolman
Prefect Strangers (artistShare)
www.toddcoolman.com
Rating: 
In assembling this unique CD, bassist Todd Coolman didn’t fall back on standards or a longstanding repertoire. Instead, he solicited original compositions from visitors to his website — the “total strangers” of the title — and handed those tunes to a quintet of top-tier musicians to see what they could make of them. The result is a straightahead album with guts, with swinging performances giving welcome exposure to seven little-known but deserving composers.
The album scores its best hits early on: the hardbop strut of “Crescent City Ditty” and fluid, autumnal air of “Full Circle” provide ample room for Eric Alexander’s roller-coaster tenor sax, which spins against Brian Lynch’s airborne trumpet lines. The unusual, shifting theme of “Connotation” gives way to darkly sparkling piano from Jim McNeely, who swoops and arcs into Coolman’s stout bass solo before John Riley’s jaunty drumming takes over. Although that spark fades somewhat in the later tracks, fans of straight-up modern bop will find plenty to enjoy.
Filed Under: CD Reviews
