Richie Beirach/Dave Liebman: Quest for Freedom

Quest for Freedom closes out with a number called “The Sky’s the Limit”. For the most part, pianist Richie Beirach and saxophonist Dave Liebman make grand use of that sky. With the aid of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band under the baton of Jim McNeely, these guys give the old fashioned big band sound a modern kick in the pants, allowing for tension to mount when necessary (hint: one song is titled “WTC”).

Quest for Freedom falls a few shades short of essential and it doesn’t really throw down any heavy gauntlets like past Beirach/Liebman collaborations. But each composition is still a nugget of greatness unto itself, proving that “in with the new” doesn’t always have to lead to “out with the old.”