Begun in the spirit of the classic
Gerry Mulligan/
Chet Baker piano-less quartet, trumpeter
Rick Holland and baritone saxophonist
Kerry Strayer's
Speak Low is actually split between tracks sans piano and those with pianist
Frank Mantooth. Longtime Midwesterners,
Holland and
Strayer both play in a thoughtful, laid-back style perfectly suited to such iconic "cool" jazz tunes as "Bernie's Tune" and the softly frenetic "Swing House" -- both included here.
Holland especially evinces
Baker's trademark minimalist approach with a supple tone and well-constructed lines that often cross over into more adventurous post-bop territory. Similarly,
Strayer's solos move along with a rhythmic punch that owes much to
Mulligan. Guest
Mantooth adds some genial melodicism on the Kurt Weill title track that, with
Holland switching to flügelhorn, ironically also brings to mind the stellar early-'60s work of another
Mulligan cohort,
Art Farmer. Rounding out the lyrical ensemble are bassists
Bob Bowman and
Ed Fedewa along with drummers
Todd Strait and Larry Ochiltree.