Bringing together concerts from 1967 and 1968,
Bish at the Bank: Live in Baltimore
captures pianist
Walter Bishop, Jr.
and his quartet in two exuberantly delivered live shows. Culled from the recorded archives of the Baltimore-based Left Bank Jazz Society,
Bish at the Bank
features the pianist with his regular group at the time with saxophonist
Harold Vick
, bassist
Lou McIntosh
, and drummer
Dick Berk
. One of the leading bebop pianists to emerge from the shadow of
Bud Powell
,
Bishop
had continued to extend the bop tradition into the '60s, developing a distinctively hard-swinging approach that blended urbane modern jazz, bossa nova, and modal styles. His primary collaborator here is saxophonist
Vick
, a tough-toned reedist whose aggressive, throaty sound is a perfect match for
's warm, ringing chords. They clearly love to swing, as on the opening "My Secret Love," in which drummer
Berk
pushes the group hard as
and
trade ever more spiraling, melodic lines. Particularly engaging is their R&B-inspired take on
Joao Gilberto
's "Quiet Nights" (aka "Corcovado"), which evolves from
's loungey flute melody to their roiling, groove-based midsection as
smashes into the piano with a preacher's glee. Elsewhere, they dig into equally potent readings of standards like "If I Were a Bell," "So What," and "Willow Weep for Me." All throughout the album, you can hear the crowd clapping and hollering their approval. Notably,
spent most of his early career, starting in late '40s, as a sideman and didn't record as a leader until the early '60s. While his studio albums are superb,
goes a long way in showcasing just how masterful and appreciated he truly was, especially in a live setting. ~ Matt Collar