Bertha Hope was married to pianist
Elmo Hope for just seven years prior to his death in 1967, but she only recorded a few piano duets with him until getting back into the studio in the early 1990s. On this session, she proves herself to a more than capable pianist, composer and arranger as she leads a strong quintet featuring trumpeter
Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist
Junior Cook (with
Dave Riekenberg taking over on "Bellarosa"), bassist
Walter Booker and drummer
Leroy Williams. Her snappy "Bai Tai Blues" stands up against anything her late husband recorded during his career, while there is plenty of blowing space for
Cook and
Henderson. The lovely ballad tribute "For Duke and Cannon," composed by
Sonny Fortune, is a subtle feature for
Hope with
Booker's tasty bass and
Williams' crisp brushwork. She offers effective interpretations of her late husband's works, especially the sauntering "Bellarosa" and the breezy "Elmo's Fire," which showcases the leader extensively. Sadly there are no liner notes to give more background about the leader and the making of this session.
Bertha Hope, a superb talent worthy of wider recognition in her own right, should be a regular visitor to the recording studio.