Walter Smith III - three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not (Blue Note)

One might well wonder why saxophonist Walter Smith III gave his latest album such a literal title. It’s true: Smith, pianist Jason Moran and drummer Eric Harland are all indeed Houston natives and alumni of that city’s famed Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, while bassist Reuben Rogers is not. Despite the quartet being a man down as far as origin goes, Smith decided to make three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not a tribute to his hometown, nodding to the jazz club with which Smith grew in the swinging “Cezanne,” beloved cultural boulevard Monstrose in the swirling “Monstrose Nocturne,” and Houston drivers’ hell in the oddly tranquil “610 Loop.” (Smith must’ve had better experiences than this writer, given the melodic clam of the piece. Maybe it conjures up the zen state he had to enter when getting on and off Texas’ version of the Autobahn?) Smith not only spreads his love across the city, but also sleeps around stylistically, moving from hard bop (“Misanthrope’s Hymn”) and free jazz (“24”) to smooth balladry (“Office Party Music”) and post bop (“A Brief Madness”), with a quick stop for some Texas blues (“Lone Star”). Backed by such a stellar band (who have played together for years in other contexts, including Charles Lloyd’s band), Smith proves he can do anything, making three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not a delight regardless of city of origin.