Having reviewed the box set of Motian’s five On Broadway albums as recently as Jazzwise 171, I’m somewhat surprised at the separate reissue of this volume – except perhaps that it’s the best of the five, and the only one to include Konitz. He responds admirably to the kind of freedom afforded by the Motian-Haden axis, and the atmosphere established by the pre-existing trio with Lovano and Frisell. Despite the concentration of well-worn standards (from ‘Skylark’ to ‘Tico Tico’), the emphasis is on retaining the melody but only sufficiently to anchor the interpretation. There’s nothing non-standard about the settings, ‘Pennies From Heaven’ being up-tempo (and minor-key, a la Tristano) and ‘I Wish I Knew’ done (as by Bill Evans and Coltrane) ballad-style, but the unpressured and unclichéd invention says it all. There are a couple of examples of Konitz and Lovano bouncing off each other, and the duet of Lee and Motian on ‘Way You Look Tonight’ makes me forgive the saxophonist’s less pleasing soprano sound in ‘Skylark’.