Home shows Oxman at his most gracious as a composer and bandleader.
Capri Records
Keith Oxman – tenor saxophone; Derek Banach – trumpet; Clint Dadian – guitar; Bill McCrossen – bass; Todd Reid – drums
Keith Oxman’s new album Home feels like flipping through a family photo album, only the pages are made of melody. The Colorado tenor player has long worked closely with a tight circle of musicians: guitarist Clint Dadian, trumpeter Derek Banach, bassist Bill McCrossen, and drummer Todd Reid. Their shared history, onstage and off, shapes the record’s easy, warm flow, giving it a sense of trust and cohesion that runs through every track.
The whole project is Oxman’s way of saying thanks to the people who’ve steered him, inspired him, or just kept him grounded, whether we’re talking family, old friends, or mentors. It’s a record rooted in gratitude, and it feels like he’s opening the door and inviting you in to meet the folks who made him who he is.
“True Lou” was written for Oxman’s father who passed away in 2023. It sets the tone right away and it’s surprising how a quintet can achieve a big-band bounce, but they do it effortlessly. Oxman lays out the melody with a calm, open tone. Banach follows with a bright, lyrical trumpet solo, and Dadian’s guitar lines—cleanly picked and resonant—stand out as clear musical statements. McCrossen’s melodic bass lines and Reid’s understated, spacious drumming give the rhythm section a subtle personality that anchors the tune.
Chris Harden—coworker, friend, mathematician, and musician—inspired “Hardenesque.” A light Brazilian groove opens with Dadian establishing the rhythmic feel and the band locking in with him. Oxman and Banach weave their melodies together so naturally it’s as if they’re finishing each other’s phrases. McCrossen’s bass solo is full-bodied and melodic, while Reid’s brushwork keeps the groove nimble and flowing.
Years ago, Oxman arranged one of his heroes ’tunes—Cannonball Adderley’s “Serenata”—with the hope of recording it someday. Here it becomes a West Coast-leaning stroll, and Banach’s luminous tone shines. Cannonball’s original didn’t use trumpet, and he had Wynton Kelly at the piano instead of guitar, but Oxman’s take doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. It sits proudly alongside the source, not as a copy, but as his own way of tipping the hat.
Terry Powell and Oxman have been friends since the 80s, bonding over many games of chess. “Don’t Throw in the Powell” is a great hard bop tune with tight unison lines and brisk exchanges that push the energy forward. Oxman maintains a calm, centered presence, Banach leans into playful runs that dance around the beat, and Dadian delivers one of his strongest solos of the album. As throughout Home, Oxman’s writing sets up the personalities of the group more than it showcases him, letting the band speak for itself.
Drummer Todd Reid thought “Home” would be a good title track and it brings a softer focus to the album. Banach opens in his upper register with just a touch of vibrato, while Dadian comps with the kind of support you usually expect from a great pianist—thoughtful, steady, and
completely locked in with the horn. Dadians’ solos are consistently some of the most compelling moments on the record, standing out without overpowering the ensemble. The subtle shuffle beat underneath gives the music a gentle lift.
The closer, “An Extraordinary Rose,” written for Oxman’s mother, is the emotional center of the album. It’s a quiet thank-you, the kind you offer someone who gave you steady, unconditional love. Oxman opens with clear, centered phrasing, Dadian provides gentle, pianist-like comping, and halfway through Banach steps in with a melody that feels like a warm reply.
Home shows Oxman at his most gracious as a composer and bandleader. His writing is thoughtful, his arrangements make the most of the musicians around him, and the band shines in ways that reward repeated listening. It’s fitting that an album called Home begins with Oxman’s father and ends with his mother, bookending a journey through the relationships that made him who he is.
