Ironically,
Quiet finds guitarist
John Scofield using a much larger group of musicians than usual. The basic band has
Scofield (who sticks to acoustic guitar),
Wayne Shorter on tenor, bassist
Steve Swallow, and either
Bill Stewart or
Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. They are joined by trumpeter
Randy Brecker, two French horns, two woodwinds,
Roger Rosenberg on bass clarinet, and
Howard Johnson on tuba and baritone. Since
Scofield is mostly in the lead, the music -- eight originals by the leader and a song by producer
Swallow -- is indeed mostly at a lower volume, although there is plenty of heat, too. However, since the guitarist is less distinctive than usual due to his playing acoustically, this set is not quite as significant as his other Blue Note releases. ~ Scott Yanow