Fred Hess did several things to make this a good album. He selected material by some of the masters of jazz, including Roland Kirk, Ornette Coleman, and Anthony Braxton. He had the guts to cover the two most covered Monk tunes (except for "Straight, No Chaser") and still pull it off with originality. Add to this his exceptional saxophone playing and solid backing musicians and you get Sweet Thunder, a very good debut for this doctor from the University of Colorado. The idea here is to "mix an interest in the rediscovery of jazz's past with a daring search for the music's future." Hess's experience with his own avant garde Boulder Creative Music Ensemble and recording artists Ren Miles (trumpet) and Art Lande (piano) combine to meet the challenge. There are some solid solos but what I really like is the attention to composition and melody. There's not a weak cut here. (Nick Lingg)