European Quartet

Ted Nash's frequent gigs around Manhattan in the 1990s showed him to be a flexible young tenor saxophonist who could handle hard bop and avant-garde "outside" experimentation equally well. Nash pretty much sticks to melodic "inside" playing on European Quartet, a decent French release that the New York resident recorded during a visit to Europe. Joined by French jazzmen Oliver Hutman (piano), Thomas Bramerie (bass) and Jean-Pierre Arnaud (drums), Nash is in good form on songs by members of the quartet as well as familiar pieces like Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," Thelonious Monk's "Ugly Beauty" and the George Gershwin standard "Love Walked In." One of the less obvious choices was "Tripping," a song by the adventurous pianist Andrew Hill. There are a few times when Nash starts to play outside, but for the most part, he keeps things melodic and bop-based on this satisfying, if conventional, CD.