Search - Jean Toussaint :: Life I Want

A strong effort

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 06/28/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jean Toussaint, a British tenor and soprano sax player, came up through the mid-eighties edition of the Jazz Messengers, which featured Terrance Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Mulgrew Miller, and Lonnie Plaxico--not bad company by any means. This group followed one of the very greatest Messengers' bands--the one with Bobby Watson, Wynton Marsalis, James Williams, and Billy Pierce.Toussaint hasn't been heard from much since then, even though he is a fine player with an original voice and concept, and is also an accomplished composer. This outing--one of three that I own by him--finds him among a group of (mostly) fellow countryman, including Jason Rebello on piano and keys, Mark Mondesir on drums, and Wayne Batchelor on bass. A young Jean-Michel Pilc also guests on piano on three cuts and almost ends up stealing the show with a dazzling performance on the Charlie Parker tune, "Red Cross."Life I Want finds Toussaint mainly in a very pleasant, relaxed, groove-oriented setting, although there may be too much eclecticism for some tastes. It's obvious these players know each other well, and they achieve a remarkable level of interaction and communication. Although nothing earth-shaking happens here, attractive tunes well played make this disc easy to recommend. 4 1/2 stars."