Since his days with Steps Ahead, Brecker has been more closely associated with the electric wing of jazz. He and Tyner prove a felicitous pairing, however. Tyner's piano plus well-traveled bandmates Avery Sharpe on bass and Aaron Scott on drums all wrap Brecker in tradition; Brecker's harmonic edginess prods Tyner's own modernizing instincts. Of the six originals, "Flying High," "Changes," "Happy Days," and "Mellow Minor" stand out as examples of how, in Tyner's hands, the simplest motifs become the most compelling tunes -- and the most inspiring vehicles for improvisation.

-- Robert Keough