by Scott Yanow
New Directions (a quartet with Jack DeJohnette on drums and piano, guitarist John Abercrombie, trumpeter Lester Bowie and bassist Eddie Gomez) is a group that never seemed to live up to its potential. On this set of three DeJohnette compositions (including the wittily titled "Where or Wayne") and two group improvisations, the music is a bit dull, making too much use of space and featuring less of Bowie's trumpet and wit than one would hope. There are some strong moments (particularly from Abercrombie and DeJohnette) but this band (to use a cliché) was less than the sum of its parts.