New directions

"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".

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"Jack DeJohnette has his 1979 album, New Directions, back in circulation. The drummer is supported by a stellar line-up ... The roaming opener, "Bayou Fever" - distinguished by a mesmeric groove where [Lester] Bowie's glistening horn jousts with [John] Abercrombie's ethereal fretboard figures - is the key cut, though the dreamy ballad "Silver Hollow" comes a close second".