NEW RELEASES : Exhilarating Debut for Sanchez

DAVID SANCHEZ

“The Departure”

Columbia

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Say hello to a new and vibrant jazz voice.

Rare is it that a player not yet 30 plays with authority, presence and verve, not to mention creativity. But one aesthetic strength is followed by another on this exhilarating debut by the gifted, youthful tenor (and occasionally soprano saxophonist) from Puerto Rico.

The Latin and mainstream realms are both explored--sometimes within the same piece. Take “Cara De Payaso,” a Brazilian classic that reveals Sanchez’s Sonny Rollins influence, and that flies from a Latin feel to a blistering straight-ahead up-tempo. “Woody ‘n’ You” finds the leader playing the tune by Dizzy Gillespie--both Sanchez and his pianist, the notable Danilo Perez, performed with the trumpeter--at a seductive moderately slow clip, then a blazing one, the tenorist’s long, loping lines never lacking interest. “I’ll Be Around” is a reverent look at the timeless Alec Wilder ballad, with Sanchez’s tone fat and comfy, and Perez’s “You Got It Diz” is a snappy Thelonious Monk-ish, Latin groove on “I Got Rhythm” changes.

The supporting cast--including trumpeter Tom Harrell, drummer Leon Parker and bassist Peter Washington--is right there with Sanchez, delivering crackling stuff.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).