Sometimes, you never quite know what's going to work. You've got two ingredients that maybe you don't think are so great, but put them together and you get the big surprise. Subtle combinations can often surprise.
Tom Harrell - Roman Nights
My favorite Tom Harrell record is actually a Jim Hall record. These Rooms was a Jim Hall Trio album featuring Tom Harrell. Really great stuff. There was a certain synergy between Harrell's flugelhorn and Hall's guitar. Some of that kind of thing is evident on Roman Nights. Danny Grissett's beautiful piano introduction on the title track leads into Harrell's smokey theme. On the higher end of the energy scale is the closing "Bird In Flight." As usual, I am hooked by inspired unison play and this song is full of it. When Harrell and tenor player Wayne Escoffery start trading solos, you know you're onto something.
Eric Reed & Cyrus Chestnut - Plenty Swing, Plenty Soul
To my ears, the reference standard of piano duo recordings has to be that Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock thing. Monstrous, is what it is. This is a little different though. First it's Reed and Chestnut (duh). Second, there's the presence of bass and drums (Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III). The title gets it right. There is mad swing going on here. The intertwined introduction to "All The Things You Are" is just so fine. The rest of the piece swings in it's own sweet, restrained way. My favorite track "Two Bass Hit." Their take on it just burns.
Dave Glasser - Evolution
Sax, piano, bass, & drums. Staples in the jazz world. Sometimes, that combination can be bland. If the players don't add a little spice to the proceedings, you quickly realize that you've been here before. ("What? Intro-head-solos-head again?!) Thankfully, Dave Glasser knows how to apply the leverage to that alto and his band knows how to react. The angular introduction to "Monk's Blues" builds just the right amount of tension before the launch into a very swinging piece built on a series of widely-spaced intervals. It's a nice tribute to Monk and a kindred spirit to their version of the man's "Rhythm-A-Ning."
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