Sometimes tragic circumstances lead to great music-making, as fine performers and better people come together for the common cause of celebrating the all too brief life of an emerging composer whose spirit was cut short. Brendan Edward Romaneck was such a figure, a budding talent on the saxophone, fresh out of the University of South Florida's jazz program where he studied with Bunky Green and pianist Keith Javors. Romaneck was appointed to a teaching assistant's position to obtain a master's degree at U-Tennessee, then died suddenly at age 24 in a traffic accident. He did not record a CD as a leader, so Javors and his friends assembled two different bands to document some of his original compositions and the standards he was fond of. From the perspective of a person steeped in the New York City neo-bop scene, Romaneck naturally gravitated toward fellow saxophonists like Michael Brecker, making Chris Potter a logical choice to front the band on the first half of this effort. His bright, romping lead tenor in a bass/drums tandem on "My Shining Hour" naturally lends comparison to the brawny pianoless trios of Sonny Rollins. With Javors also on board, you can hear the parallels of Potter's individualism through Romaneck's writing on the tick-tock-to-bolero "Dream Beyond the Winter" via a plaintive cry similar to Joe Henderson, or the pretty John Coltrane-like expressionist upper-level octave soul ballad "Full Moon." Potter switches to soprano sax for the quick "Three Steps Ahead of the Spider" and remorseful light soul of "You'll Never Know," while in duet, Javors and Potter's tenor exude poignant delicacy on a wonderful version of "Nancy with the Laughing Face." Trumpeter Terell Stafford and saxophonist Steve Wilson take charge for the remaining tracks, moving the dialog more into that of something similar to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, especially during the hard bop flagwaver "11-02," consisting mainly of solos instead of composed music. The most involved example of Romaneck's writing prowess crops up on "Minion," a very complex piece ready to burst out, and which at times does, but in principal restrains tension in more hushed tones and counterpoint. A 6/8 modal framework for the title selection shows the tricky and tuneful approach Wilson and Stafford can easily employ in the later-period Jazz Messengers tradition, where 3/4 and 4/4 phrases skip across a simple, slick, and shiny pond of melody in the simpler track "The Vibe," with funk folded into the swing. Javors, bassist Delbert Felix, and drummer John Davis show their conviction and commitment to this music by lifting the sax and/or trumpet charts to their fullest elevation. If there is a follow-up to this very good recording, listeners should welcome it with open arms. The progressive jazz community should remember a similar effort by West Coast musicians to ensure that the music of bassist Eric Von Essen was immortalized via three excellent CDs for the Cryptogramophone label. Hopefully friends of Brendan Romaneck will endeavor to do the same, with this recommended recording as a fine starting point. -- Michael G. Nastos

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