Urban Transport

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of the most interesting sounds around.

Urban Transport has been together for only one year, but its main members have played together much longer, most notably in the Vincent Chandler Sextet and the Chandler/

Dobbins Band, the direct precursors of the current group. The leaders of the quintet are trombonist Vincent Chandler, alto saxophonist Dean Moore, and drummer Sean Dobbins. Their new bassist is Josef Deas. The piano chair, which has been held by various players, will soon be filled permanently by David Cook.

Vincent Chandler must rank among the top young trombonists in the country. Relatively few jazz players have truly mastered this difficult instrument. Chandler follows in the footsteps of the great Detroit slide master Curtis Fuller but has already found his own voice. His tone is lighter without sacrificing the soulful center that gives his playing its expressive force, he can play with uncanny speed, and his phrasing provides much drama as he manipulates various forms of tonguing. Indeed, his broad array of phrasings brings to mind the saxophone playing of Sonny Rollins, who has built a classic style on just such a palette.