By Herb Boyd | Published January 2026
Lasting Impression is Brandon Sanders’ third album, and — to borrow an old expression — it is charmed in several ways. It is gifted by an assembly of talented storytellers, each with special moments to spin (as Sanders does on every track) but most notably on the title track and “Tales Of Mississippi.”
Tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard takes the longest and deepest leap on this piece of southern motif. Warren Wolf’s vibraphone resonates in spectacular fashion on Bobby Hutcherson’s “8/4 Beat” and his mallets sync perfectly with Sanders’ sticks on “No BS for B.S.” Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn’s rendition of “Our Love Is Here To Stay” compares favorably with her “In A Sentimental Mood” on Sanders’ previous release, Compton’s Finest. Pianist Eric Scott Reed is always an inventive and creative performer and his tune “Shadoboxing” is festooned with an array of counterpunches to Sanders’ gallops on the skins. There is room here, too, for an extended solo by bassist
Eric Wheeler.
Sanders is endowed with an intuitive feel for selecting the right bandmates and repertoire to showcase, and there’s no way he can go wrong with a gem from the genius of Stevie Wonder (which Horn brightens with her sparkling virtuoso lilt). To be sure, each musician has carved out individual space, but it’s when they bring their unique visions as one that they truly create what Sanders knew they were more than capable of producing: a slam dunk for the former hoopster.
