20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 [feat. Kevin O'Neil, Kevin Norton & Andy Eulau]

Released a year after 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003, this second four-disc set doubles the amount of material released from Braxton's tours of Europe in early and late 2003, with the same lineup (Braxton on saxes, Kevin O'Neil on guitar, bassist Andy Eulau, and drummer Kevin Norton), same focus on jazz standards, and even the same dates in some cases. Together, the two four-CD sets released by Leo Records present recordings from ten different European dates (two in February 2003 and eight in November of that year). This second set continues with the editorial approach used in the first one: each disc consists of tracks from different concerts, brought together to make a balanced record. So this second five-hour helping adds pieces performed at shows already represented in the first box set, and covers a couple of shows that were left untouched. Leftovers? Hardly. In fact, it is easy to be convinced that all eight discs were conceived simultaneously. Again, one is struck by the multifaceted balance of the album as a whole. Jazz crowd favorites like Desmond's "Take Five," Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk," Coltrane's "Lonnie's Lament," and Parker's "Blues for Alice" are presented side by side with less covered tunes, like Mulligan's "Lines for Lyons" and Harris' "Freedom Jazz Dance." And, as usual in such a jazz setting, Braxton pays a loving tribute to each tune, respecting the melody, pushing it beyond the composer's wildest dreams, taking it apart and reassembling it in the most natural-sounding way. The quartet takes flight right off the starting block with a 20-minute rendition of "All the Things You Are." Other highlights include Norton's solo in "Lines for Lyons," Braxton's uncanny out-sensitivity in "Waltz for Debbie," and the slippery playfulness — and impossible telepathy — of the quartet in "Take Five." Since the first box set sold out pretty quickly, this one is like a second chance, with all new material. These are masterfully creative revisitations of chunks of jazz history, big and small. Limited to a thousand copies, this album, like the previous one, is bound to become a collector's favorite. ~ François Couture, Rovi