Although
Bob Brookmeyer played piano in addition to his regular instrument, valve trombone, while he was working with
Jimmy Giuffre and in both the small and big bands led by
Gerry Mulligan, as well as on other sessions, this is his first exclusive outing on the instrument since the recording of "The Ivory Hunters," his famous duo piano date with
Bill Evans, some 40-plus years later. Producer Peter Larsen overcame
Brookmeyer's numerous objections that he wasn't up to the task; the results are more than satisfying. With bassist
Mads Vinding and drummer
Alex Riel, he develops interesting approaches to half a dozen time-tested standards. "The Man I Love" is economical and occasionally dissonant, while his reworking of "I Thought About You" has a well-disguised introduction and later a Latin flavor as the rhythm section joins him. "I Should Care" is transformed into a troubled, somewhat darker setting, but he follows it up with a joyful, foot-tapping "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" that surely reflects the song's title; it comes out sounding like an original by
Brookmeyer. As one of the top (and most under-appreciated) arrangers and appreciated composers at the dawn of the 21st century,
Brookmeyer's originals stand up very well to close scrutiny. "Summer Song" is his brisk reworking of
George Gershwin's well-known "Summertime." The pretty ballad "Pastoral" contrasts with his playful (and at first, deceptively simple) "Stupid Song," which builds from an initially repetitious two-note theme.
Brookmeyer would never claim that he has the greatest chops on piano, but the way in which he makes use of his talent on the keyboard is of far more interest than the CDs by up-and-coming full-time pianists with great technique but little knowledge of what to do with it. ~ Ken Dryden