This is a much more traditional jazz effort than
Gordon's previous album,
Currents. Featuring the leader on alto,
Peter Bernstein on guitar,
Mike LeDonne on piano,
Dennis Irwin on bass, and
Kenny Washington on drums, the record includes
Gordon's compositions "Minor Dues" and "Stapleton," a bright waltz arrangement of "Isn't It Romantic," and a swinging version of the
Milt Jackson blues "SKJ." Pianist
Ronnie Mathews makes superb guest appearances on a pair of
Monk tunes, "Monk's Dream" and "Ugly Beauty." The one very non-traditional element is the children's choir heard on "Without a Song," and
Barry Harris's wholesome sermonette "These Are the Things We Need." Drummer
Eddie Locke, who plays on these two tracks and on "SKJ," played
Gordon a tape of the kids singing one day, and the rest is history. Despite the personal meaning that the choir's singing holds for
Gordon (as he explains in his liner notes), it's hard not to hear it as a merely cute touch. ~ David R. Adler