It Might As Well Be Spring

They Say...

Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

In a perfect world, Larry McKenna would have a much larger catalog. He would have started recording as a leader when he was in his twenties and gone on to provide at least 30 or 35 albums by the time he reached 60. But It Might As Well Be Spring, which was recorded not long after McKenna's 63rd birthday, is only his second album. Although the tenor saxman is quite capable of playing fast and aggressively, his romantic side prevails on this CD. Ballads are a high priority, and even the songs that aren't ballads (including "April Showers" and "Make Me Rainbows") tend to be reflective and laid-back. One thing that ties many of the selections together is the theme of spring; that is true of "It Might As Well Be Spring," "Spring Is Here," and the title song as well as "April Showers" and Hoagy Carmichael's "One Morning in May." However, this album wasn't actually recorded during the spring -- the Philadelphian (who is joined by pianist Jason Shatill, bassist Pete Colangelo, and drummer Jim Schade) actually recorded It Might As Well Be Spring during the summer of 2000. Throughout the session, McKenna's lyrical and introspective playing brings to mind Stan Getz. Even though Getz is only one of McKenna's many influences -- and even though Getz was a member of the cool school and McKenna is very much a hard bopper -- McKenna gives the impression that he had been paying especially close attention to Getz's work when he entered the studio. Not that McKenna ever allows his own personality to become obscured -- the veteran tenor man always sounds like himself on this excellent release.