Saxology in Bloomington, MN

The meeting of alto saxophonist
Dick Oatts
and tenor saxophonist
Jerry Bergonzi
pairs the two veterans in a quartet with bassist
Dave Santoro
(a frequent collaborator on record dates with
Oatts
) and drummer
Tom Melito
.
Santoro
penned five of the CD's seven tracks, starting with the upbeat, cool
"Cheepo Steaks,"
which has a perky unison line and terrific solos all around. By contrast, the bassist's
"Cranial Bypass"
is an insistent cooker built upon its opening riff.
's
"Flight of the Dodo"
sounds like something written by a student of
Lennie Tristano
, an intricate workout which sounds like it could be an elaborate, well-disguised takeoff on the changes to
"All the Things You Are."
' subtle
"In Passing"
has an infectious quality, with an underlying broody air, while his
"King Henry"
gradually builds steam, resulting in the most provocative solos of the session. Highly recommended! ~ Ken Dryden