Artist:     Tony Lustig Quintet

Album:     Taking Flight

Label:     Bimperl Entertainment & Media

Release Date:     02/22/2016

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Yet another millennial blows into town (via Detroit) carrying, of all things, a baritone sax and starts to light fires in the clubs. With a soulful mojo of edge and tone, Lustig’s full throated debut, Taking Flight, at first, for this listener, doesn’t. Sure the first two tracks (all eight are sure-footed originals, balancing a certain cocktail lounge comfort (those aforementioned first two tracks and one other)) against a high flying sense of wonder and abandonment.

It’s in that realm of wonder and abandonment that Taking Flight takes off. “Prometheus,” “For Wayne” and the title track simply outrun the runway. Lustig blowing in tandem with his perfect foil, trombonist Mike Dease. Pianist Samora Pinderhughes masters in solo and subterfuge. The tidal rhythms of bassist Ben Williams and drummer Ulysses Owens hold sway and give way for the peers to climb. The nine minutes plus “On The Wings of Icarus” leaves plenty of room for each player to sail and soar (and for Lustig to do his compositional balancing act), while “Burnin’ Grease” is the perfect Saturday night barn-burning finale.

-Mike Jurkovic