Lin Halliday Where Or When

(1994/Delmark)  8 tracks
Delmark Records has done the jazz world an enormous favor by documenting Chicago's rich jazz scene, and in the 1990s, the Windy City label has had the excellent taste to record Lin Halliday frequently. The tenor saxman's third album finds him once again joined by muli-hornman Ira Sullivan (who is heard on trumpet, tenor sax and flugelhorn) and pianist Jodie Christian -- only this time, the bassist is Larry Gray, and the drummer is Robert Barry. As spirited and invigorating as he is on the fast tempos of "My Shining Hour" and Sonny Rollins' optimistic "Pent-Up House," Halliday is wise not to neglect ballads -- and his romantic side serves him quite well on "Over the Rainbow" and Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady." Sullivan never fails to swing, and Christian's captivating pianism show us why he's so highly regarded in Chi-Town. (AllMusic)