Tommy Flanagan
spent a good part of his career accompanying
Ella Fitzgerald
between 1965 and 1978, so few
jazz
fans had an idea how capable a pianist he was until he went out on his own in 1978. These previously unissued solo performances (recorded in Zurich in 1974) are a welcome addition to his discovery, mixing bop favorites with a few standards. The bop material includes a pair each of compositions by
Bud Powell
and
Thelonious Monk
, along with an elegant treatment of
Dizzy Gillespie
's
"Con Alma."
But a problem came up in the assembly of this CD. Evidently another pianist's work, who has a definite
Art Tatum
influence, is heard on the last ten tracks, especially in
"Caravan"
(borrowing
Tatum
's heavy chords and striding left hand),
"Just One of Those Things,"
and the playful
"Willow Weep for Me."
The spirited stride piano rendition of
Earl Hines
'
"Rosetta,"
complete with chime-like chords, would have made both
Hines
smile in approval, though this hardly sounds like
Flanagan
. The rollicking
"St. Louis Blues,"
obviously inspired by
' famous
"Boogie Woogie on the St. Louis Blues,"
is yet another twist. Storyville quietly removed
Solo Piano
from their catalog when the error was discovered, but the mystery of the second pianist's identity (possibly
Adam Makowicz
?) remains. ~ Ken Dryden