Terry Hanck

Tenor saxophonist Terry Hanck—a regular visitor to Chico back in the ’80s and ’90s with his band, the Soul Rockers—is also a powerful singer/songwriter. For this, his fifth CD, he’s written all the songs and demonstrates his unique ability to fuse its various elements—soul, blues, ballads and boogaloo—into a cohesive whole. As one of Elvin Bishop’s main men back in the ’70s, he’s coaxed his ex-boss into joining him on two tracks: the bouncy “Cupid Must Be Stupid” (“to think I’m gonna stay here with you”) and “Peace of Mind,” a relaxed bit of blues about a guy who’s finally settled down and is “so glad to have found some peace of mind.” An astute musician, Hanck has always surrounded himself with terrific sidemen; here he’s got guitarist Johnny “Cat” Soubrand and drummer Butch Cousins, with Chris “Kid” Andersen on bass and rhythm guitar. Andersen (ex-Hanck and -Musselwhite) is a much-in-demand guitarist and shows why a few times here. But the focus is on Hanck, and in this guitar-centric era, it’s especially welcome to have the booting sax work of a guy like this at the helm of his own band; one listen to his achingly beautiful playing on the title track should be all it takes to convince you.