On this excellent piano trio date,
Mike LeDonne
explores four of his swinging originals (including
"Sir Rah,"
named backwards for
Barry Harris
) plus songs by
Wes Montgomery
,
Duke Ellington
(
"Tonight I Shall Sleep"
),
Don Redman
, and
Milt Jackson
"The Rev"
). Pianist
LeDonne
works well with bassist
Dennis Irwin
and drummer
Kenny Washington
, and their interplay is one of the main reasons to acquire this fine
hard bop
outing. Their playing on
is particularly soulful.
, an unsung hero of the New York modern straight-ahead
jazz
scene, is always worth checking out. ~ Scott Yanow