While jazz and funk saxophonist/composer John Flanders has played with the likes of the Temptations, the Four Tops, Billy Preston and the late Solomon Burke, said he wouldn’t change the line-up for his band Double Helix.

The band including guitarist Pat Terry, bassist Evan Coombs and drummer Bob Smith formed in 2001, and is a staple in the Utah music scene.

Double Helix has played the Park City Jazz Festival, the Utah Arts Festival and the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, John Flanders & Double Helix will play the Egyptian Theatre to kick off the release of the band’s fourth CD, “The Go Between.”

The disc is a like a photograph, which captured the band in this particular moment of time.

“There has been some evolution since we started 10 years ago,” Flanders, a Holladay resident, said during an interview. “And since we’ve been together for so long, I know how the band plays. When I sat down to write the songs, I envisioned how they would be played by the guys in the group.

“I always joke that my goal of making CDs is to get my songs played by wonderful players,” he said with a laugh. “I’m also all over the songs because I’m the cheapest guy I can hire.”

Still, Flanders takes the time to write the parts out and gives them to the others to learn.

“It’s a full process,” he said. “Sometimes the tunes come out in hours. Sometimes they come out in days or weeks. Overall, I have to be committed to the tunes, if we’re going to make a CD.”

Knowing how the songs will be played by the musicians helps with the CD track-list selection process, Flanders said.

“It’s important that I also believe in the songs, in order to choose them for a CD.”

Flanders, who began his music career by studying jazz at Ohio State University and got his masters degree from University of Connecticut, took his time making “The Go Between,” he said.

“This was one of the few times I didn’t put an unrealistic time frame on completing the CD,” he said. “I stepped away from it months at a time, and it took about two years to complete.”

The extra time allowed the compositions to develop, Flanders said. When the band would get together to record, things just felt more comfortable.

“We always record live,” he said. “So the base is organic jazz in a live quartet setting. Then I build the songs up and bring in guest artists and do arranging.”

However, setting an indefinite deadline can be dangerous, Flanders said.

“I tap danced around the danger of stepping too far away from the arrangements and losing the heart of them,” he said. “Fortunately I never got too far away for too long and kept myself within the range of the original musical concepts.”

Flanders is happy with the finished CD.

“In reality, I have no regrets when it comes to all my albums,” he said. “But I had fun with this one. And I think we got it right.

“I wouldn’t have spent one less day on it,” he said. “Everything came together and all the players rose to the occasion, and the truth is I actually still enjoy listing to this CD, instead of making a coaster out of it.”

“The Go Between” is more melodic than other Double Helix albums, Flanders said

“I allowed the music to breathe a little better,” he said. “And I wanted to make each step I took with the music the best I could, and not move on until I accomplished what I set out to do.”

In addition to the core Double Helix lineup, the CD features guest musicians such as percussionist Carlos Arroyo, trombonist Ryan Shepherd, pianist Mitchel Forman, guitarist Mike Miller, French horn player Charlotte Bell, violinist Gina Koziatek, drummer Wayne Coons and bassist Alex Rowe.

The CD is also the last CD to feature pianist Wayne Christiansen, who was killed in an auto accident, July 12, 2010.

“Wayne was amazing on the piano,” Flanders said. “I’m glad I was able to work with him.”

Flanders said he hopes people will listen to and appreciate the album as a whole.

“I have nothing against singles,” he said. “But an album, to me, is still important.

There is a certain cohesiveness that emerged when I chose the order of music.

“I would hope people would listen to it like they would read a book,” he said. “Seriously, you wouldn’t just want to read Chapter 8 of ‘War and Peace,’ not that the CD is anything like that.”

That said, Flanders says the show at the Egyptian will be comprised of select tracks from “The Go Between” as well as a handful of fan favorites from past releases.

“A majority of the songs in the set list will be from the new CD,” he said. “But there are songs on the album that we’ve only played while recording them and there are some that are so difficult that we didn’t have the time to rehearse them enough to feel comfortable to play live.”

John Flanders & Double Helix will perform at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main Street, on Sunday, Jan. 9, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $12-$20 and available by calling (435) 649-9371 or by visiting www.parkcityshows.com.