True Life Stories

On his fourth album as a leader, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Greene has clearly settled into a musical comfort zone; those familiar with Greene's earlier work will find no surprises here. He even does a reverent version of an old spiritual, as he had on 2004's Forever, this time essaying a heartfelt take on "How Great Thou Art" that he takes at a funereal ballad pace before breaking into a more raucous group sound that showcases trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and a thundering piano part by Xavier Davis. That song sums up True Life Stories as a whole: while Greene's style of small-combo post-bop jazz is entirely familiar, he and his group play with an admirable level of engagement with both each other and the material. Said material is evenly split between Greene originals and standards ranging from Thelonious Monk's "Evidence" (played as a medley with the title track) to Harry Connick, Jr.'s "Take Advantage." True Life Stories isn't even within shouting distance of the contemporary jazz avant-garde, but it's proof that a jazz player can be a traditionalist without being a moldy fig.