Walt Weiskopf follows up the lush nonet sounds of
Siren with a streamlined, hard-hitting quartet statement. Joining the ultra-chopsy but lyrical tenor saxophonist in a somewhat rare sideman appearance is pianist
Brad Mehldau, with
John Patitucci and
Clarence Penn in the rhythm section. The leader's "Triangle Dance," in a high-spirited 6/4, kicks off the session; the remaining five originals run the gamut from the up-tempo swing of "NYC" to the contrasting straight-eighth feels of "Petal" and the complex title track, to the flowing bossa of "Together."
Weiskopf and
Mehldau close the album with a beautiful duet called "When Your Lips Meet Mine" and are both heard to great advantage on the two non-originals, Shwartz & Dietz's "Haunted Heart" and
Jule Styne's "People." ~ David R. Adler