New Yorker Byars last occupied us in our October 2022 edition when an earlier SteepleChase release earned our coveted ‘Editor's Choice’ tag – and rightly so. This new uttering is his eleventh album for this omni-active Danish label and moves Byars away from his usual sextet format to a more pared-down setting.

The first Byars quartet album in 15 years, it confirms his validity as a player of consequence. With a style best described as light and supple, his sound and facility gives an almost alto-like feel to his lines. In other words, he can seem like a hard bopper who has a cooler side. The presence of the fine guitarist Pasquale Grasso allows a fusion of interests that reminds this listener of the cool Konitz-Tristano school. Byars wrote all 10 pieces on the album, several based on his reworkings of old songs, the title track being a fast-moving re-iteration of ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ with Balla in the swing chair.

Byars says that Grasso is “the best guitar player I’ve heard in my entire life.” It's clear that the two men dovetail exactly, Grasso's lines fleet and harmonically clever, this especially evident on the opening piece, ‘Times Square Lights,’ contrapuntal and lively. The mood that emerges over the album's duration is partly one of quiet reflection, thoughtful and considered, as in ‘Blessings for Giacomo,’ in 3/4 time, and quite languid, the playing almost tentative. But then comes ‘This Account Is Private’ which finishes on a flourish, close-voiced for guitar and horn, and is quite irresistible.