The four musicians on this set were all virtual unknowns at the time of the recording, and the liner notes give no real clues as to their careers, other than to mention that bassist
Joshua Bayer is a teacher. Altoist Marty Nau's playing is reminiscent of
Phil Woods, Bob Sykes proves to be a more distinctive pianist than electric keyboardist, and
Bayer's originals are just so-so, with tricky chord changes but no memorable melodies. This set starts slow and does not catch a bit of fire until
George Gershwin's "Prelude" and the blues "For Now." Perhaps if the latter two numbers had led off the date and a few of the numbers had been discarded, this would have been a stronger set. As it is,
Lines and Grooves shows potential that is not completely realized. ~ Scott Yanow