On this focused and passionate record,
Alan Pasqua is joined by bassist
Dave Holland and drummer
Paul Motian -- two players with stellar reputations who don't appear together often. Motian's post-'70s playing tends to be free and fragmented, but he approaches
Pasqua's material with a straight-ahead sense of swing. The leader, for his part, became known as a synth player following his work with the Tony Williams Lifetime in the late '70s, but here his playing and writing are closer to acoustic post-boppers like
Mulgrew Miller and
Kenny Barron.
Pasqua's elegance and fluidity are amply apparent on the trio features: "Mr. Softee," "Taiowa," "Dedicated to You," and "Grace."
The album is also spiced up by three high-profile guests. Tenor sax star
Michael Brecker contributes a rare soprano performance on "San Michele," and he and brother
Randy Brecker (trumpet) sit in on "Emergence." The esteemed altoist
Gary Bartz joins
Randy Brecker on "Homage," "Ellingtonia," and "Sha' la' ko'." ~ David R. Adler