Some dogmatists in the jazz world would have us believe that improvisers have to record a lot of overdone standards in order to prove that they are legitimate. Such dogma is mindless; while standards can be great for practicing, there is no law stating that jazzmen are obligated to record a lot of them -- or that original material cannot dominate their albums. To his credit, trumpeter John McNeil does most of the writing himself on Brooklyn Ritual, a 1997 date that he co-leads with reedman Kenny Berger (who is heard on baritone sax, clarinet, and bass clarinet). All of the musicians on this CD are New York residents; that is true of McNeil and Berger as well as trombonist John Mosca, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Steve Johns. The only well-known standard that this pianoless quintet interprets is Ary Barroso's Brazil; McNeil is the composer on decent post-bop pieces that range from the melancholy One Last Goodbye and the angular Strictly Ballroom to the intriguing Doo-Wop, which manages to combine doo wop elements with the intellect of Miles Davis' 1960s groups. Doo wop, of course, was never meant to be intellectual -- it thrived on simplicity -- and McNeil's ability to fuse doo wop with something totally different speaks well of the Davis-influenced trumpeter. Brooklyn Ritual isn't a masterpiece, but it's a likable post-bop effort that will appeal to those who have a taste for the cerebral. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

1		Emerson
2		Doo-wop
3		Smoke
4		One Last Goodbye
5		Brazil
6		Hogwash
7		Big City
8		Stevie Steps Out
9		Strictly Ballroom
10		Afu
11		Something Cool
12		Reggae Jackson