As the name of the group implies, the New York Standards Quartet came together to perform familiar tunes from the jazz lexicon. Nominally led by pianist David Berkman, the group also includes the talents of saxophonist / flautist Tim Armacost, bassist Yosuke Inoue and drummer Gene Jackson. Between them they've played with some of the foremost names in jazz including Sonny Stitt, Tom Harrell, Hank Jones, the Mingus Big Band and the Wayne Shorter/Herbie Hancock Quartet. All four of these outstanding musicians are active on today's New York jazz scene and their concept is a simple one: to play jazz standards in their own way. By playing well known compositions, such as "How High The Moon" and "All The Things You Are" on this CD, the focus is then put on what the quartet will do with the material. This gives the musicians tremendous freedom of interpretation, hence the continuing appeal of material like this, and which is illustrated in an excellent fashion on this recording.