Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 01/24/2001
Jaki Byard was in a mellow mood for these sessions recorded in early 1996, two years before his still-unsolved murder. Accompanied by bassist
Ralph Hamperian and drummer
Richard Allen, this CD emphasizes
ballads for the most part. His treatment of
"September Song" is especially lyrical, with a few rumbling chords and a tasty bass solo by
Hamperian. He shows some of his trademarked playfulness, and a bit of light
stride piano in an otherwise meditative interpretation of
Duke Ellington's
"Solitude." It's hard to top his abstract arrangement of
John Coltrane's
"Giant Steps," played at a glacier-like tempo, or the haunting beauty of
Mal Waldron's
"Left Alone." Byard's originals are always of interest.
"The Changes of Life" is a bit ominous at first, then quickly segues into a breezy
bop setting.
Allen introduces
"Mandella" with a
tribal rhythm, with
Hamperian's arco bass and
Byard's floating chords gradually working their way in, though the percussion remains central to this miniature.
Byard also revisits his extended
"Family Suite," which previously appeared in part on
Family Man. This hard-to-find Japanese CD, issued by
Meldac, can be purchased through
www.ejazzlines.com.
~Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
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