This is a recommended set of stimulating post-bop jazz.
Andrew Hill's highly distinctive piano playing and unusual compositions hint at the past while following their own rules. The feeling of polyrhythms is present in several of
Hill's seven compositions on this CD. The tightness of the bass-drum team (
Lonnie Plaxico and
Cecil Brooks) is quite impressive, as is the blend of
Robin Eubanks' warm trombone and
Greg Osby's alto.
Osby's angular improvisations, which seem out of place in standard bebop, sound perfectly at home in
Andrew Hill's music. "Friends" features the altoist's lyricism in a duet with the pianist. Although the final two numbers (including the 13-and-a-half-minute freely improvised "Gone") are solo piano performances, it is the quintet tracks with
Osby and
Eubanks that are the main reason to acquire this disc. ~ Scott Yanow