Bennie Wallace - The Old Songs (1993)

Like his younger contemporary James Carter (and Joe Lovano, for that matter), tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace seems able to reference a panoply of jazz legends in his playing. He's got the octave leaps that Eric Dolphy made his own, and a swing-era sense of full-bodied tone and breathy playing, to boot. His renditions of standards on Old Songs, then, sound alternately like Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, and some genetic hybrid of about six other saxophonists. This set finds tenor sax master Bennie Wallace at the top of his form, putting his indelible stamp on a program of timeless classics. Bennie is joined by Lou Levy, Alvin Queen and Bill Huntington.