Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith

Craig Handy had many impressive gigs leading up to 2nd Line Smith, including with the mighty Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the hard-bopping supergroup The Cookers, and all three official Charles Mingus legacy bands. But the in-demand saxophonist still turned heads with this group’s traditional New Orleans approach to organist Jimmy Smith’s songbook. With Kyle Koehler (Hammond B3), Clark Gayton (sousaphone), and Matt Chertkoff (guitar), Handy alternates among two drummers from the Crescent City (Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis) and one from Detroit (Ali Jackson). Vocalist supreme Dee Dee Bridgewater sings on a spirited version of “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” while Clarence Spady (vocals, guitars) and Handy’s Lincoln Center Orchestra boss Wynton Marsalis (trumpet) contribute to parade-worthy version of Muddy Waters’ “Mojo Workin’.” There’s a funk emphasis to “Organ Grinder’s Swing,” and Smith’s own “Mellow Mood” is interpreted with its original spirit of probing sophistication.