Tug of War in Bloomington, MN

On Philadelphia-based trumpeter
John Swana
's sixth
Criss Cross
recording, the Philadelphia-based trumpeter joins forces with drummer and fellow Philadelphian
Byron Landham
and other musical peers -- tenor saxophonist
Chris Potter
, pianist
David Hazeltine
, and bassist
Dwayne Burno
-- to perform a good mixture of up-tempo swingers, medium swingers, and ballads, with seven of the nine selections written by
Swana
. Highlights include
"Freddie"
-- dedicated to
Freddie Hubbard
but reminiscent of
Wayne Shorter
's classic composition
"Black Nile"
--
"Vic Arpeggio,"
a humorous swinger named after a character on a TV comedy, the slow
blues
"Puss 'n Boots,"
and the up-tempo
"Quick Fix."
Tug of War
exemplifies the high-quality modern
mainstream jazz
usually found on this Dutch label and is a welcome addition to the
discography. ~ Greg Turner