
One for 25
“You Dig”
(Posi-Tone)
In celebration of his label’s quarter-century anniversary, Marc Free put together a kicking group of musicians from the Posi-Tone stable under the flag of the Posi-Tone Swingtet. The resultant recording, One for 25, showcases an allstar aggregation of straightahead artists who’ve recorded for the label as leaders and sidemen. Free has been featuring teams of Posi-Tone players in various combinations during the past few years, casting a light on the deep wells of talent he’s attracted and presented in two-and-half decades. That talent shines throughout One for 25, which comprises compositions by many of the principals, as well as some label mates. Penned by trombonist Michael Dease, the album’s kickoff tune, “You Dig,” features Dease’s clean-burning brass at the fore, engaging his bandmates in call-and-response lines and then riding the heated rhythms of pianist Theo Hill, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston. The rest of the team, in turn, pick up the baton and sprint along with the rhythm team, as saxophonists Diego Rivera, Patrick Cornelius and Lauren Sevian; trumpeter Farnell Newton; and pianist Hill each take an invigorating lap around the track.