Night

The Bridge Quartet consists of tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer, pianist Darrell Grant, bassist Tom Wakeling, and drummer Alan Jones: Night is the second volume of their work together over a two day period in 2007, complicated by Dwyer being delayed at the U.S.-Canada border on his way to Portland. There's a bit more energy in this recording than their earlier release, since it is before a live audience. The quartet really stretches out on several of the selections, starting with a leisurely stroll through "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," followed immediately by a cooking "On Green Dolphin Street" that finds Dwyer taking a few chances in his solo. Less frequently performed songs include Victor Feldman's touching ballad "A Face Like Yours" (featuring Grant's lush playing) and Sonny Rollins' explosive "Strode Rode." The quartet wraps the evening (or actually, the wee hours of the morning) with a gritty take of Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan" and an amusing, very different setting of Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing."