Billy Drummond's third Criss Cross release takes a more adventurous approach than his previous two releases, as he enlisted the services of tenor saxophonists Chris Potter and
Walt Weiskopf, frequent bass collaborator Peter Washington, and no one on piano to create a challenging program of standards and original compositions. Highlights include title track, with its insistent bassline and Elvin-inspired drumming, Weiskopf's "Drum Head," an Ornette-inspired tune that develops into a collective improvisation, Potter's "Bananafish," described by its composer as "an eleven-bar line with a calypso feel," and the rarely heard "Mushi Mushi," composed by tenor saxophonist
Dewey Redman and recorded by the
Keith Jarrett Quartet during the 1970s.
Dubai is, to borrow the title of another Criss Cross release, a two-tenor winner. ~ Greg Turner