The latest release from Paul Winter is a different sort of animal.

Previous albums have been ambitious collaborations with various other musicians and, more often than you might expect, wild animals who vocalized their own contributions to the distinctive Winter sound. Winter performed, yes, but he served as much if not more as the group's director than he did as a musician in the band.

Light of the Sun, however, narrows the focus to give more attention to Winter's soprano saxophone. In previous recordings, his artful sax was a constant presence but not always at the heart of the melody. This time, he's in the spotlight, and other musicians -- fewer than usual, you'll notice -- provide support.

Now 80 years old and with more than 60 albums to his credit, Winter finally shines as the featured soloist, soaring through melodies that are, in some cases, quite familiar from earlier releases. Some, as is noted in the press materials, are new compositions, while others have been reinterpreted with new recordings. Light was recorded in three primary locations: the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, where he performs an annual concert for the winter solstice; the Grand Canyon, which was the setting of the first Paul Winter album I heard so many years ago; and the Kova of the Miho Museum in Japan.

Accompanying Winter here are several musicians, most notably Paul Halley on piano and organ and Eugene Friesen on cello -- both perennial favorites from previous recordings.

Unfortunately, the CD sent to me for review has several annoying skips -- the reason I put off reviewing it for so long -- but otherwise I found it a very enjoyable and relaxing listening experience. Personal favorites on the album include "Sun Singer" and "Wolf Eyes," both tunes I have enjoyed previously and which get a fresh interpretation here.

Any new release in the Paul Winter collection is a worthy addition to my music library. It's nice to have an album that lets Winter take a break from being a bandleader so he can sit back and do what he does so well on the sax. And, if we're lucky, it won't be the only time he does this; according to the press materials, Winter says he "doesn't mean to imply it is my last. Actually, I'm intending it to be my first. When you arrive at 80, you need to be ready for something new."