Fred Haas is a tasteful jazz musician. By that I mean that there is logic, depth and, most important, a keen sense of melody in his improvizations. Telling Stories is Haas' fifth recording in which he explores the sonic possibilities in the small jazz group. In the case of this CD, that group is a drum-less trio wherein Haas places his tenor saxophone and piano in a setting with Gene Bertoncini on guitar and Michael Moore on bass. And while this recording is at times soft and intimate, there is an intensity to the solo work of all three musicians that keeps this session from slipping into the realm of background music.

Haas' solos evolve much like a story, following a well-developed arc to their conclusion. He has a full, clear sound on the tenor sax that is quite distinctive, and there is a strong sense of swing in his playing. Haas can be forceful, as on the bop-tinged "Fred's Ahead" or the sprightly "Nowhere," and he can be soft and serene, as on the gorgeous ballads "Sabrina's Smile" and "Elegy." Haas has an affinity for the blues, displayed on the Basie-esque opener "Cayman Blue" and on the down and dirty "Blues With a Twist."

But it's on the Latin-tinged numbers such as "Jobim" (where Haas plays splendid piano) and "Winter Samba" where I run into a couple of small problems. On these numbers, Haas allows his sound to drift too close to imitating Stan Getz. I'd rather hear more of the pure Haas sound on these cuts. Also, I found myself yearning for some percussion on these tracks.

Bertoncini and Moore have a superb sense of feel and their playing all throughout is the epitome of swing and good overall time. They keep their solo statements short and to the point. Indeed, they sound as if they've been playing the 12 Haas originals on this CD all their lives. Telling Stories is a fine recording and a strong statement of good acoustic straight-ahead jazz.

-Alan Chase

Fred Haas will play The Press Room on Sunday, Aug. 29 with the Jim Howe Trio as part of the Jazz Grill, from 6 to 9 p.m., to celebrate the release of Telling Stories.