All of the music on this CD comes from the June 24, 1992, concert at
Town Hall
in New York City, with a host of artists each being featured. Trumpeter
Tom Harrell
leads off with two fine originals, the turbulent
"Journey to the Center"
and the mellow but swinging
"Weaver."
His very strong supporting cast includes ex-boss
Phil Woods
on alto sax, tenor saxophonist
Joe Lovano
, and pianist
Jim McNeely
, as well as bassist
Peter Washington
and drummer
Bill Goodwin
. Pianist
Fred Hersch
is next, beginning with a dazzling trio arrangement of Brazilian composer
Egberto Gismonti
's
"Nostalgia,"
with some superb arco cello by
Erik Friedlander
and powerful percussion from
Tom Rainey
. A captivating medley of two
Hersch
originals,
"Child's Song"
and
"Forward Motion,"
and the humorous (and well-named)
adding saxophonist
Rich Perry
, round out his set. Brazilian guitarist and singer
Ana Caram
was one of
Chesky
's most-recorded artists during the 1990s, and her brief set is a good example of why she appealed to fans of
bossa nova
.
Woods
returns to the stage to join
Paquito D'Rivera
and his band for a sensational two-clarinet version of
"Birk's Works,"
with a brief tag of
"Estamos Ai'"
tacked onto the end. The only complaint is that the full set by each group merited a separate release, or at least this release should have been a two-CD set to better document what must have been a very memorable concert to attend that evening in New York City. ~ Ken Dryden