tom bruno & sabir mateen
getting away with murder
mte-07

28 february 1995 new york city

sabir mateen tenor saxophone
tom bruno drums

1. getting away with murder (45:49)

two of our universe's best unsung musicians performing the true new york underground circuit. recorded live in grand central station. listen to the trains run, the announcers squawk, the commutes dawdle, and tom and sabir break the bread of the earth.

coda magazine writers choice top ten recordings 1998.

"Two guys, a tenor sax, one-third of a drum set, a pair of brushes, and the occasional sound of a train being announced....The album is admirable. Both exhilarating and thoughtful." --Walter Horn, Cadence

"A duet of shifting momentums, interplay, fresh feeling. Mateen coils up in repeat figures, releases into legato culminations. Bruno taps and shimmers crisp rhythm platforms, turning points. Train announcements, walk-up chatter included. Hey, they're on to something. Stop a while; there'll be a later train..." coda

"Two musicians recorded down New York's subway -- and, surprise, surprise, they're playing excellent jazz. Tom Bruno uses brushes on his busker's pared-down kit: a glorious, intricate waterfall of beats. Tenorist Mateen leaps in like a salmon, flashy and wise. A 45 minute improvisation requires pace and intellect; Mateen's meditative, Lowe-like intimacy is just what is required. When the sax lays out for nine minutes, Bruno's fluid ebullience comes to the fore. Mateen's concluding flourish lets in some subway ambience -- train-door slams and commuter chatter -- and the results are haunting. DAT recorder and hand-held mic provide better sounds than many routine studio dates. Byron Coley's sleevenote is, as usual, a gas."-- ben watson, hi-fi news/record review