On this set, co-led by guitarist
Tom Dempsey and bassist
Tim Ferguson, and also featuring altoist David Bixler and drummer
Jeff Brillinger, original hard bop tunes are emphasized on
Perspectives. The only song not from
Dempsey or
Ferguson is
Duke Pearson's "Minor League." The music is inventive, straight-ahead (but not predictable) and swinging, with a few subtle surprises included. The musicians, based in New York, are not famous but deserve recognition since they are talented improvisers. This small-level set shows how creative the modern mainstream of jazz remains in the early 21st century. ~ Scott Yanow