It’s time this gifted artist stepped out on his own. To that worthwhile end, 1201 Music’s Smooth Sounds is delighted to present Torrid Rain Camp’s first CD under his own name. Here, surrounded by a group of accomplished, like-minded friends, Camp stretches his artistic legs, wailing on a gaggle of original tunes, finding his own groove on flute, tenor and soprano.

It’s the summation of a musical life that began at the age of 8, when Camp first picked up the flute and found his calling. The sax followed three years later, and in short order Camp was a fixture with the Monterey Jazz Festival all-star High School Band. During these early years, the young prodigy also played tour dates with Mangione and Doc Severinsen.

Rather than go on the road right out of high school, Camp enrolled in the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he majored in saxophone performance and, in the really first break of his career, hooked up with Buddy Rich. After graduation, Camp toured Japan with his own band-playing to packed houses for three weeks-then he went back home to California, where he’s been based ever since.

For the past decade, Camp has toured and recorded regularly with Stewart and White. And he’s done frequent gigs with Windows, the popular contemporary jazz group whose releases on Blue Orchid are regular residents on the NAC charts. (Camp’s work with Windows can be heard on From the Asylum and Apples and Oranges, which also features Peter White.)

The Camp-Windows connection is very much alive on Torrid Rain Windows founder/leader Skipper Wise produced the album. White co-engineered it, co-wrote many of the songs and lent his performing artistry to every cut but one. That’s him, for instance, playing the nifty acoustic-guitar solo on “You Say.”

Torrid Rain kicks off with a Camp-White collaboration called “Tinman.” Camp is on tenor, pushed by a driving beat laid down by drummer-percussionist John Mahon, another Windows alumnus. The muscular bass is supplied by John Menzano. Camp switches to soprano sax for the lovely “My Two Ladies,” “Love is Here to Stay” is a passionate ballad, and Camp squeezes every ounce from it, aided this time by the background singing of Kiki Ebsen.

Everything else wails. From the humor of “Saxrap” to the straight-ahead funk of “Slamdunk,” Torrid Rain is a showpiece for a complete artist. Dave Camp has the chops to do whatever he wants on his instrument-and the artistry to make whatever he does a musical statement. Mr. Camp, welcome aboard.

In Torrid Rain, his hit debut, saxophonist Dave Camp came out cooking. Now he’s back with Night Fall, a new CD that finds him in a mellower mood—more laid-back, perhaps, but definitely not catatonic. This is still Dave Camp, and he still likes his music to swing. Night Fall is Camp’s baby from beginning to end, he produced it, wrote or co-wrote all the tunes and plays tenor, flute or alto lead on every cut.

As on Torrid Rain, he’s joined by longtime friends and collaborators Peter White (guitar), John Mahon (drums) and John Menzano (bass). Also along for the ride this time is trumpeter Roy Wiegand, who took time out from a Pink Floyd tour for the recording date. Together, these fine musicians have given us an our or so of contemporary jazz at its best.

But then, Camp has been doing that for years. A native of Monterey, Calif., he first picked up the flute at the tender age of 8. The sax followed three years later, and by his teens, Camp was a fixture in the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star High School Jazz Band. During these early years, the young prodigy absorbed the artistry of Grover Washington, Jr., Michael Brecker and David Sanborn—his major influences—and even landed tour dates with Chuck Mangione and Doc Severinsen.

After two years at San Francisco State, Camp enrolled at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he majored in saxophone performance—an experience he describes as “learning as fast and as hard as you can with as much competition as you can possibly stand for as long as you can stand it.” He must have stood it pretty well, for he earned his degree—and a concert stint with the great Buddy Rich. Camp then toured Japan with his own band—playing to packed houses for three weeks—before returning to California, where he’s been based ever since. For the past decade, Camp has toured and recorded regularly with Al Stewart and White.

He’s also written music for television and music libraries and even acted in TV commercials. And he’s done frequent gigs with Windows, the popular contemporary jazz group whose releases on Blue Orchid are regular residents on the NAC charts. (Camp’s work with Windows can be heard on From the Asylum and Apples and Oranges, which also features Peter White.)

The long Camp-White collaboration is very much alive on Night Fall. The two friends are responsible for the nifty flute-guitar duet in “Your Eyes,” a romantic ballad over a gentle Latin beat. Camp stays with the flute for “Feelin’ Good” and for the moody “Party of Two,” which was co-written by Mahon, another Windows alumnus. Camp switches to alto for the beautiful “The Farther Star.” Everywhere else, Camp is on tenor—and swinging most of the time, from the sly, aggressive humor of “Spy vs. Spy” to the straight-ahead drive of “Redemption”—”a four-on-the-floor” dance track,” according to its creator.

Usage with kind permission by 1201 Music (www.1201music.com)