Where Is Brooklyn? in Bloomington, MN

Where Is Brooklyn
was
Don Cherry
's final album for
Blue Note
, and it returned to the quartet format of
Complete Communion
, this time featuring
Pharoah Sanders
on tenor sax along with bassist
Henry Grimes
and drummer
Ed Blackwell
. Here,
Cherry
abandons his concept of recording all the album's compositions as side-long medleys; rather, each is treated separately, with spaces in between the tracks. There wasn't a need to integrate the compositions by periodically returning to their themes, so perhaps that's why
doesn't really focus as much on bringing out his compositions this time around.
is much more about energy and thoughtful group interaction than memorable themes, and so there's just a little something missing in comparison to
's prior albums, even though they did also emphasize the qualities on display here. Nonetheless, it's still a fine record for what it does concentrate on;
Sanders
is in typically passionate form, and the rest of the ensemble members have already honed their interplay to a pretty sharp edge. It's worth hearing, even if it isn't as essential as
or
Symphony for Improvisers
. ~ Steve Huey