Saxophonist Walter Smith III played his first gig at a McDonalds in his hometown of Houston, Texas. His musical nugget was to pursue a life in music, something he's done with Roy Haynes, Terence Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller, Christian McBride, Ambrose Akinmusire, among many others, and featured on 37 recordings to date. Pretty decent nugget.
On his new Blue Note release, "Three Of Us Are From Houston And Reuben Is Not", Smith engages fellow Houstonians Jason Moran on piano and Eric Harland on drums, and, for edification, from the Virgin Islands, bassist Reuben Rodgers.
This is a foursome you let play through. The infectious give and take, push and pull is evident from the opening notes of "Seesaw", the opening track, and continues through the 11 tracks, including a Sam Rivers composition, and an original with the true feel of the Lone Star State.
