**** DOC CHEATHAM & NICHOLAS PAYTON

(Verve)

Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham passed away June 3 at the age of 91, but not without leaving ultimate evidence of his mastery: a magnificent final recording shared with 23-year-old trumpet star Nicholas Payton and a sweetly swinging New Orleans ensemble. The 14 selections (mostly pop chestnuts and showtunes) were chosen by Doc himself and served up with reverence and joy.

Cheatham's gorgeously idiosyncratic trumpet sound is beautifully set off by Payton's sensitive obbligati and lucid solo turns. Payton listens hard and makes his musical comments with precision and taste. What's more, Doc's expressive singing stamps old warhorses like "Jada" and "Jeepers Creepers" with the full force of his personality, investing rarities like "Save It Pretty Mama," "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight?" and "I Gotta Right To Sing the Blues" with fresh musical import.

Of the four instrumental features, Doc's own favorite was the magniloquent "Stardust." He and Payton also bring intelligence and light to "I Cover the Waterfront," "Out of Nowhere", and "(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue."

-- John Sinclair