Search - Various Artists :: 70's Jazz Pioneers: Live at the Town Hall, NYC

A summit meeting of sorts, this set takes another look at top improvisers who came into their own in the 1970s. Together, the sextet sounds at a cooled-out creative peak. The group's rhythms are strengthened by guitarist Pat Martino, who's got an agility that can make his and ace pianist Joanne Brackeen's parts sound together like a Hammond B-3 organ and then go into a warpy solo that hits all the right chords and sounds delightfully melodic. Dave Liebman, known more for his soprano sax, picks up the tenor here and plays alongside trumpeter Randy Brecker as they tackle supremely identifiable works (Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," Miles Davis's "All Blues") and then refashion "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" into an even-clipped vehicle for tone-bending solos. Remarkable here is the great audio, capturing Al Foster's drumming with all the low and high accents. It might sound retro to dig a "'70s Jazz" ensemble, but note for note, this is a strong band playing fantastic tunes. --Andrew Bartlett