Cadence Magazine Review; by David Kane

Black and Keenlyside are joined on (3) by Arai and Hill on drums and bass respectively and the resulting quartet recording is happily on a par with their duo work. The musical values are high in just about every respect here; the writing, group interplay and the solos are all first-rate.
Black and Keenlyside’s writing is the focus here again and the quality throughout is of an enviable level. The pieces, as on (2) jump around stylistically with the bluesy humor of “One O’ Clock Stump” at one end and the Ornette-ish “Mind the Gap” and the 11/4 meter of “Quando” at the other. Keenlyside occasionally puts the flute down for the sax but it comes as no surprise to find that he is a fine sax player as well, though I think he puts a bit more of a personal mark on his flute playing. Arai and Hill prove to be excellent sidemen and though the album simmers at a medium burn most of the time, the energy level rises appropriately with some fireworks from Arai on the aforementioned “Gap” and elsewhere.

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