I take it the “summit meeting” of the title is between Alexander’s working quartet and Verve trumpet star Nicholas Payton, but it doesn’t quite work out that way. The title track is a well-turned 24-bar blues straight out of the school of the Jazz Messengers (or more pertinently, perhaps, Lee Morgan), but Alexander takes the lion’s share of the solo space, which leaves little chance for sparks to fly between the horn players. The same thing happens again on “There But For the Grace Of . . .” – Payton gets a single chorus – and I can’t help thinking of how by contrast much of the charm of vintage Blue Notes is in their democratic, collectivist ethos. That said, Alexander’s tenor playing is throughout handsome and assured, working squarely within the mainstream tradition; assisted by the firm, characterful playing of veteran pianist Harold Mabern he gives classy performances here of a nicely unobvious setlist centered on a pair of Bacharach tunes. The album is mostly bright and uptempo (emphasized by the very full studio sound); though perhaps Alexander’s most compelling showcases are the two ballads, “I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do” and “This Girl’s in Love with You.” It’s a pity Alexander ends the album with a slick, overloud Latinized version of “After the Rain,” complete with drum solo, which is unsettling listening for anyone who loves Coltrane’s original fragile, numinous reading. Best instead to think of the preceding “Andre’s Turn” as the real closer, an Alexander original to which Payton, Alexander and Mabern all respond strongly.

Nate Dorward

Cadence, Sep 2002