Scenes

I've been meaning for some time to call your attention to this stimulating cooperative venture recorded in 2001. Hearing bassist Johnson and guitarist Stowell in separate appearances at the recent Portland Jazz Festival nudged me. They meld beautifully with saxophonist Ricky Mandyck and drummer John Bishop in a balanced program that draws on music by Jerome Kern, Wayne Shorter, John Scofield and Tom Harrell, among others. Stowell's solo on McCoy Tyner's "Blues on the Corner" has sent me back to that track a half-dozen times. His work tends to be addictive.