New Standard Quintet: Another Time, Another Place

Another Time, Another Place is a well-drawn album by Chicago's New Standard Quintet whose seven original compositions may please the ears but seldom inflame the senses. The music is good—and often better than that—without prompting a listener to reach for the replay button. Of course, that could be the listener's fault, as there is nothing here that lands shy of respectable. A matter of personal taste? That's as reasonable as any assumption.

Be that as it may, the compositions—four by saxophonist Ken Partyka, three by guitarist Pat Fleming—are in no way less than proficient, nor are the musicians who perform them: Partyka, Fleming, keyboardist Tom Vaitsas, bassist Colin Bley, drummer Todd Howell—with percussionist Kalyan Pathak added on three numbers. Ensemble passages are smooth and harmonious, solos as keen and burnished as one could envision. Everything, in fact, is clear-cut and seamless—perhaps a bit too much so, even though the outcome offers no cause for complaint.

There is ample variety, with a modernized blues, a jazz waltz, a New Orleans groover, a tango and post-bop swinger rubbing shoulders, and it should be noted that every one of them is efficiently delivered. On the other hand, none is designed to elicit more than respectful applause, not a standing ovation. Even though Partyka and Fleming are able soloists, as is Vaitsas on acoustic or electric piano, and Bley, Howell and Pathak offer stalwart support, the session leans more toward finesse than intensity.

In sum, Another Time, Another Place leaves scant room for criticsm. Neither does it present much reason for curtain calls. That is, however, only one bystander's opinion; others may find more substance to appreciate, as the quintet is clearly astute and the music agreeable. The same fire that has failed to arouse some senses may burst forth to inflame others. As noted, it's a matter of personal taste, which varies as widely as one's appetite for broccoli or ice cream.