While veteran jazz pianist
John Bunch has always been of the swing era, he readily embraces bebop, the music of
Duke Ellington and
Dave Brubeck, and great show tunes. With a trio of guitarist
Frank Vignola and bassist
John Webber and no drummer,
Bunch envisioned this combo ten years prior, recorded but did not release a session with them, and he revisits this format in 2009 with a wonderful result.
Vignola fits perfectly with
Bunch's highly melodic ideas, and gets him to improvise or accompany more than most "leaders," while they swim effortlessly through these timeless and full-bodied melodies of familiar mainstream jazz tunes and ballads. You might not expect
Bunch to be adept at boogie-woogie, but there it is on the opening track, his original "John's Bunch," nor might you expect him to do a note-for-note perfect version of
Charlie Parker's "Anthropology" in lockstep with
Vignola. He unearths the title track, an
Ellington blues/ballad, and pristinely interprets "Come Sunday," while versions of "Four" and "Doxy" are as laid-back and simplified as a relaxing day at the beach. There's absolutely no forced movement on
Do Not Disturb, but rather an effortless swing and good feelings between these three excellent musicians, a testament to
Bunch's long-lasting viability in authentic and substantive jazz modes. ~ Michael G. Nastos