Rand Sandke

Inside Out

Nagel Heyer 2025

Randy Sandke, trumpet, flugelhorn; Scott Robinson, soprano/baritone saxes, contrabass sax, flute, bass clarinet, theremin; Marty Ehrlich, soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute; Ken Peplowski, clarinet, tenor sax; Ray Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Uri caine, piano; Greg Cohen, bass; Dennis Mackrel, drums

Yo! Here they are, a bunch of star players, all grooving on each other's talent and undeniable chops. Other than Ellington's "Creole Love Call", all of the numbers are contributed by one or other of those performing.

This is Randy Sandke and the Inside Out Jazz Collective under the motto "Watch out! Mainstream music meets the new music." What you get is a very laid-back feeling, occasionally served up on a bed of blues undertow by musicians who could probably play anything at the drop of a hat.

There's a very nice mix of ethnic origin among these guys, with a couple of nice Jewish boys in the rhythm section. I ask you, how could this go wrong? Robinson is unutterably groovy, following a delightfully quirky intro byAnderson, on "Comet Call" (track 5). "Plumbing the Depths" (track 8) is naturally a deeply melancholic rumble with Robinson on baritone and contrabass sax. Track 9, "Sforzando" is where things get really swinging in the best sense of the word, with some odd accents (actually, the entire CD is full of odd accents) to give the entire outing a sense of lopsided charm.

My favourite? Gordon's own "Sam Bone" (track 11), where there is some serious swinging going on and Caine also gets to strut a little. I sure hope this CD gets a lot of distribution. It is a real affirmation that there are lots of good cats around to ensure the future of the music. Highly recommended.

by Lawrence Brazier

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