Doug provided a quick follow-up to ‘Live at The Rancho Mirage Library’ with this album which finds him working with different musicians in a slightly different style. This time around, his arrangements have taken five veteran standards and three of his originals into Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. He is joined on the quartet set by Bill Cantos on piano, Fender Rhodes and organ, bassist Hussain Jiffry, and drummer-percussionist Kevin Winard. Although Doug is again at the heart of the band, this has a very different feel and style indeed than the previous one, with a piano providing additional melody, a bassist who is more laid back and less frantic and a drummer who provides Latin percussion throughout taking the music in a very different manner indeed.
This is jazz to relax through as we get feelings of the Caribbean and one can imagine listening to this in the cool of the evening on a beach with a glass of rum in hand. Probably the most well-known and most altered song on the album is a wonderful take on “Walkin’”, which is far removed from the Miles Davis anthem which was such an important song within the hard bop movement and is now something quite funky. This album does not contain the excitement of the previous one, with the feeling that everyone is in much more control, but without an audience there is always less pressure and the addition of keyboards means that Doug is not having to carry such as heavy melodic load. This may not be totally essential but is a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxed listen all the same.
Rating: 6/10
