Ari Hoenig's NY Standard series takes on Wayne Shorter's "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum" with a focused, intimate performance that highlights Tivon Pennicott's tenor saxophone. Pennicott delivers three substantial choruses through the 24-bar ABA form at a medium-swing tempo, his solo demonstrating a mature command of the tune's sophisticated harmonic language. His playing balances melodic invention with rhythmic suppleness, each phrase shaped with care and connected to the next by a compelling inner logic. Shorter's composition, originally recorded on Art Blakey's 1966 album Indestructible, is a challenging vehicle for improvisation, its harmonies moving through unexpected modulations that demand both harmonic awareness and melodic creativity. Pennicott navigates these challenges with aplomb, his tone full and confident as he explores the composition's possibilities. Hoenig's drumming provides an ideal foundation, his responsive, interactive approach creating a rhythmic conversation that supports and challenges the soloist in equal measure. The 2015 recording captures the spontaneous energy of musicians working without a safety net, and the single-soloist format gives the performance an intensity and focus that multi-soloist tracks sometimes lack. This track exemplifies the NY Standard project's mission to reveal new dimensions in familiar jazz repertoire.
