Listen to the Dawn is a rare example of
Frank Morgan recording an entire album without a pianist. The veteran alto saxophonist, who was only two weeks away from his 60th birthday when this post-bop/be bop CD was recorded, evidently wanted to try something a bit different -- and it was a move that paid off creatively. Whether he's forming an intimate duo with guitarist
Kenny Burrell or forming a quartet with
Burrell, bassist
Ron Carter, and drummer
Grady Tate,
Morgan fares quite well without a pianist. This isn't an album of fast tempos and high-speed aggression -- from
Burrell offerings like "Listen to the Dawn" and "Remembering" to highly personal interpretations of
Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye,"
Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You" (which becomes a sexy bossa nova), and the standard "It Might as Well Be Spring,"
Morgan is especially introspective and really takes time to reflect. This compelling CD should not be missed. ~ Alex Henderson