Ralph Moore - Round Trip (1987) FLAC

The feel of this set (the debut as a leader by tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore) is very much in the style of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. That should not be a surprise, for even though Moore did not play with Blakey (the closest he came was with Horace Silver), trumpeter Brian Lynch and pianist Benny Green certainly did. With guitarist Kevin Eubanks, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Kenny Washington completing the sextet, Moore leads the band through two originals, Eubanks' "Round Trip," and Lynch's "Back Room Blues," and a pair of jazz standards. A fine hard bop date and an excellent start to Ralph Moore's solo career. -- Scott Yanow