by Scott Yanow
Tenor saxophonist David Murray has recorded an enormous amount of material since the mid '70s. This date is a bit unusual for the emphasis is on ballads, he hardly plays anything in his extreme upper register (adopting a much mellower approach than usual) and each of the ten songs have either &Seasons,& &Spring,& &Summer,& &September,& &Autumn& or &Snow& in their titles. Murray, who also plays a bit of bass clarinet, is kept down to earth by the material and the solid rhythm section (pianist Roland Hanna, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Victor Lewis). Among the better numbers on this restrained date are &Spring Will Be a Little Later This Year,& &The Summer Knows,& &Autumn in New York& and &Snowfall.&