A fixture on the NYC jazz scene for years as free-lancer/sideman and owner of the jazz bars, the Silver Lining and The Django, Chicago bred tenor saxophonist Vito Dieterle charts a fascinating creative course on Anemone, his debut album as a leader after a splendid duo album with pianist Joel Forrester on the Monk tribute Status Sphere.
Long fascinated by the organ quartets of old, he leads an explosive quartet – featuring organist Ben Paterson, guitarist Kris Kaiser and drummer Aaron Seeber – through a range of moods and tempos that freshly illuminate very familiar standards (a briskly swining stroll through “Just in Time,” a tender “Lush Life”) and delightful relative obscurities (Stanley Turrentine’s “You Said It,” Dizzy Gillespie’s “That’s Earl, Brother”) alike.
True to the quartet format, Paterson’s simmering harmonies and wild soloing plays perfectly off Dieterle’s lead tenor lines. In addition to establishing himself as a formidable leader and interpreter, the saxophonist graces us with his own lyrical compositional style – and proves himself as an impactful composer - on the romantic title song that beautifully and appropriately closes the set.