Adam Unsworth
Excerpt This!
(AU)

Adam Unsworth is a virtuosic French horn player who is a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Unlike most classical musicians, he is also a very skillful and inventive jazz improviser. Excerpt This has among its highlights the leader's lengthy solo improvisations on "Halfway There" and "Bluefire Crown II" and Unsworth playing unaccompanied on the three-part "Graham's Crackers" (Ballad/Swing/Samba). His solos are full of colorful and melodic ideas with episodic yet logical development, putting Unsworth at the top of his small field of major jazz French hornists.

The other selections often utilize an intriguing sextet comprised of French horn, violin (Diane Monroe), bass clarinet or flute (Les Thimmig), vibes (Tony Miceli), bass (Ranaan Meyer) and drums (Cornell Rochester). The hyper title cut of Excerpt This is particularly colorful but there are actually no weak selections throughout this high-quality set despite the fact that none of the musicians are particularly well known at this point.

Available from www.adamunsworth.com, Excerpt This is highly recommended, particularly to listeners who never really thought of the French horn as a jazz instrument before.

Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene