Pianist Bill Carrothers is joined by bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Bill Stewart for this stunning trio session, a compelling mix of originals, standards, and arrangements of jazz compositions by others. Ornette Coleman's quirky blues "When Will the Blues Leave?" and Thelonious Monk's "Off Minor" are full of humor. The dark, haunting "Jesus' Last Ballad," which was a prominent selection on the collaboration between the late pianist Bill Evans and harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans (though Thielemans is incorrectly credited as composer instead of Gianni Bedorri), unwinds slowly in a rhapsodic treatment, with Peacock's understated bass and Stewart's minimal brushwork complementing the leader. Carrothers' brisk, angular setting of Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a delightful romp, while his spacious arrangement of "Lost in the Stars" emphasizes its lyricism. The pianist's originals are equally strong. The rambunctious "A Squirrel's Tale," with its sudden changes in direction, is full of whimsy, while "Home Row" is a spirited, unconventional blues. Highly recommended!
© Ken Dryden /TiVo