Staying young by working with the young,
Ray Brown and cohorts
Benny Green (piano) and
Gregory Hutchinson (drums) laid down a set of jazz and pop standards at a club in a Boston Double Tree Hotel. Though
Brown is the leader and anchor of the date, quite obviously the pianist is going to dominate the act -- and
Green definitely puts on a show, wiping everyone out with the pyrotechnics of "You're My Everything," engaging in a gentle stride opening to "But Not for Me," and coming logically to a bombastic climax.
Hutchinson is capable, swinging, and occasionally volatile, and
Brown mostly steps back and gives these guys a firm underpinning, with a sly solo now and then ("Bye, Bye Blackbird.") There are few surprises or deviations from the mainstream here, but a good time will be had by anyone who gives this a spin. ~ Richard S. Ginell