Some of the names of the cuts like “What Is This Thang?” and “I’ll Forget May” sound like titles that guitarist Phil DeGruy would come up with. Actually, they have a more serious purpose. As explained in the liner notes, saxophonist/composer Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson uses the chord progressions of standards, in these cases, “What Is This Thing Called Love?” and “I’ll Remember April” to build and expand on. They become his and his band mates’ — pianist Larry Sieberth, bassist Roland Guerin and drummer Mark Gully — base of operations with new melodies and themes emerging. In the quartet setting, Anderson’s voice is dominant, especially on the freewheeling “Warm Up Warmdaddy.” He swings the relaxed groove of “I’ll Forget May,” which whispers of another standard, “On a Clear Day,” with Sieberth’s elegance matching Warmdaddy’s and the tune’s springtime mood. Things get hot and wild again when Gully opens the all-aboard-for-the-ride “Balto” before Guerin’s solid bass becomes the engine for this smoker. His wife, Briana, takes over piano duties on another twisted title, the light steppin’ “All the Thangz You Ain’t.”

Fans are sure to appreciate hearing a ton of Anderson’s horn since so much of his career has been spent with Wynton Marsalis’ bands and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. While these settings put the saxophonist in the public eye and were certainly educational, they did confine his opportunity to stand up and blow. On Space Anderson allowed himself plenty of breathing room to extend the boundaries.