Quest was the name of the quartet that
Dave Liebman (who is heard here on soprano and alto flute) had with pianist
Richie Beirach, bassist
George Mraz and drummer
Al Foster. The music on their CD reissue was previously available as a Palo Alto LP but
Liebman's liner notes have been dropped for no real reason. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,"
Foster's tribute to
Miles Davis, sounds nothing like the trumpeter's music but builds up expertly in passion and intensity with
Liebman's soprano taking honors.
Mraz's "Wisteria" is a memorable ballad,
Lieb's soprano is explosive on "Softly s in a Morning Sunrise" and
Beirach's tender ballad "Elm" (a tribute to the late violinist
Zbigniew Seifert) gets fairly adventurous during its latter half.
Liebman's hyper "Napanoch" and an atmospheric and floating version of
Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" complete this superior postbop release.