Bill Crow Quartet – Jazz Anecdotes (LP, Venus)

Bassist Bill Crow is better known for his work as a sideman than as a leader, but his second recording for Venus confirms the old adage, “better late than never”. Along with tenor saxophonist Carmen Leggio, guitarist Joe Cohn, and drummer David Jones, Crow leads his quartet through eight tracks that include standards, classic jazz compositions, and a few originals. The upbeat recording of Oscar Pettiford’s “Bohemia After Dark” has great solos from every band member. Crow’s arrangement of “‘Round Midnight” is played at a faster than usual tempo with a bossa nova rhythm, while Leggio’s smooth tenor sax swings madly in Lester Young’s “Tickletoe”.