44th Street Suite

by Scott YanowAlthough tenor-saxophonist David Murray and altoist Arthur Blythe are listed in the personnel along with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Aaron Scott, the two horns only meet up on three of the six selections; otherwise Blythe is featured as the lone saxophone with the quartet. On what is in reality a bit of a jam session, the musicians romp through John Coltrane's "Bessie's Blues," Duke Ellington's obscure "Blue Piano," Tyner's "Not For Beginners" and the standard "Falling In Love With Love" while Blythe leads the quartet through the two-part "44th Street Suite" which starts out quite free before becoming a blues. Little all that memorable occurs considering the players involved (a little more planning would have worked wonders) but the music does have its exciting moments.