Christgau Consumer Guide

I didn’t trust my instant attraction to these obviously derivative occasional pieces until I looked at the label and realized that five of the 12 originated with “Trad./Arr. by.” There’s no tune like an old tune, and if this music really was “inspired by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band,” then I think Byrne’s fusion of New Orleans horn voicings with Soho-avant calm is more satisfying (if less potentially exciting) than theirs with bebop and funk.