Sanders, Brandon - The Tables Will Turn [CD]

As far as drummer Brandon Sanders is concerned, everyone should have a grandmother who runs a jazz club. It was at the Casablanca, his grandmother's nightspot in Kansas City, that he was first exposed to the music of such greats as Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, and Lou Donaldson. Sanders may be long removed from those formative days, but on this CD, his sophomore recording for Savant, he pays homage to the influence and memory of his grandmother, Ernestine Parker, in the the album's first track, "Miss Ernestine." With his understated, whispery light touch on the drums, Sanders breathes fresh life into favorites, such as Parker's "Moose the Mooche" and Monk's "Four in One." The group shifts into pop mode on the Michael Jackson hit "Human Nature," which features guest vocalist Christie Dashiell, who also delivers a sensuous version of Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss." Featuring vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Keith Brown, bassist David Wong and saxophonist Chris Lewis, "The Tables Will Turn" marks another important chapter in Brandon Sander's career.