Great Time

From the opening notes of All the Things You Are," it is evident that Yamanaka is not your run-of-the-mill tenor player. His tone, straight from Lester Young via Stan Getz, Charlie Rouse and others, is slightly breathy, elegantly controlled and very much in the pocket. Yamanaka is equal to the task whether it be ballads ("Make the Man Love Me," "Who Can I Turn To," or the rarely heard Tadd Dameron tune, "Whatever Possessed Me"); Bop (Monk's "Let's Cool One"); or Blues (the title tune "Great Time"). Add three super pros in Junior Mance, Earl May and Ben Riley to the mix and you have a superb, satisfying CD. *1/2 Stars - OREGON JAZZSCENE. Originally released in 2000.