Drew Jr

This is one of Kenny Drew, Jr.'s finest recordings. Teamed in a trio with bassist Lynn Seaton (whose bowed solos are a constant highlight) and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Drew performs five Thelonious Monk songs and five from Charles Mingus. Other than "Ruby, My Dear," none of the tunes are played all that often, so it is a particular pleasure hearing Drew dig into such songs as "Work," "Trinkle-Tinkle," "Skippy," "Nobody Knows," and "Farewell Farwell." The Mingus tunes, in particular, sound fresh, new, and transformed in the piano trio setting. Drew Jr. displays both the technique and the imagination to make this often-difficult music sound effortless and logical. Highly recommended. ~ AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

Pianist Kenny Drew, Jr. is in top form during this trio/quartet date, alternating driving pieces (including a few reharmonized standards) with more introspective interpretations. Bassist Lynn Seaton contributes a few bowed solos, drummer Tony Jefferson keeps the momentum moving, and Steve Wilson is on roughly half of the tunes, offering an additional solo voice on alto and soprano. But the focus is mostly on Drew, who plays with swing, intensity, and constant creativity during a high-quality hard bop/post-bop set. This is one of his finest recordings.

This is one of the last sessions by Walter Bishop, Jr. prior to his death in 1998. The veteran bop pianist is in great form on this trio date with bassist Paul Brown and drummer Al Harewood, which mixes standards, bop classics, and several originals. Bishop's jaunty approach to 'Yardbird Suite' is a gem, while his lush treatment of 'The Masquerade Is Over' finds the rhythm section staying softly in the background. He revisits 'Speak Low,' a centerpiece of his first date as a leader some 32 years earlier, playfully detouring into Billy Strayhorn's 'Rain Check' and leaving room for a few drum breaks by Harewood. His 'Valley Land' is an intense mid-tempo samba, while 'Keiko's Samba' kicks into a higher gear. This Japanese SACD on the Venus label is worth seeking.

Quel pomeriggio di pioggia in cui il professor James Naismith appese il cesto delle pesche in palestra, inventandosi un nuovo gioco, non poteva immaginare che avrebbe fondato una religione da un miliardo di seguaci. Non poteva immaginare che ci sarebbero stati tanti dèi tutti insieme quanti non se ne vedevano dall'Olimpo dell'antica Grecia: Pistol Pete, Magic, King James, The Captain, Black Jesus, Chef Curry e tutti gli altri. Proprio come le divinità greche, gli eroi che popolano l'nba hanno soprannomi che li elevano al mito, rendendoli unici e immortali. E così esistono un solo The Answer, un The Dream, un Doctor J, un Mailman, un The Worm… Per omaggiare i 75 anni di storia della NBA, abbiamo voluto raccogliere le parabole dei suoi 75 campioni più iconici. E lo abbiamo fatto partendo da una caratteristica che li accomuna tutti, oltre al talento soprannaturale: i loro soprannomi..