A major force on the Kansas City jazz scene for many years, Alaadeen long ago developed original voices on tenor and soprano saxophones.“And The Beauty Of It All is a set of original ballads along with some standards,” says Alaadeen. “For this project I was looking for young fresh creative minds in my sidemen. I wanted new ideas that would influence me, bridging the gap between generations.” Pianist Harold O’Neal and bassist Seth Lee were students of Alaadeen’s when they were in high school. In contrast, he met drummer Brandon Draper just a few days before the recordings but he fit in quite well. Ray Stewart, the son of Teddy Stewart (who played drums with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra), adds to the flavor of the music on percussion. “I tried to pick out all of the beautiful notes that I could muster up,” remembers Alaadeen. “This is not a CD for critics to pick apart or one that is exclusively for the musicians. It is for the everyday person to listen to and enjoy. I emphasize the melodies and I think women in particular will enjoy this album since there is a lot of feeling in it.”
