Pianist
Hal Galper, who spent the 1980s with
Phil Woods' Quintet, led a short-lived quintet of his own in the late '70s that gave
the Brecker Brothers a chance to get away from the studios and really stretch out. This live session (which was released for the first time on
Galper's 1991 CD) has plenty of hard-blowing with tenor saxophonist
Michael Brecker showing his mastery of
John Coltrane on the ballad "I'll Never Stop Loving You" while brother
Randy plays expert bop during the hotter jams and the intense ballad "Shadow Waltz." The pianist-leader (who is accompanied by bassist
Wayne Dockery and drummer
Bob Moses) does not get overshadowed and is in fine form throughout, particularly during his feature "My Man's Gone Now." Although there are only two standards on the set, the feeling is of a jam session with
Galper leading the strong rhythm section through a variety of attractive chord changes. Recommended.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi