John Young is a longtime Chicago-based pianist who the locals know and love, though he has recorded as a sideman more frequently than as a leader. This Delmark CD reissue of a pair of 1959 sessions features him leading a trio with bassist Victor Sproles and drummer Phil Thomas. To a blindfolded listener, his style suggests both
Red Garland and
Wynton Kelly (especially in the opener, "I Don't Wanna Be Kissed"), though he is very much his own man. He devours whole fellow pianist
Ray Bryant's signature tune, "Cubana Chant." He incorporates a variation of "Freddie the Freeloader" to introduce the swinging blues "Bones" (possibly an original, but the CD unfortunately lacks any composer credits), which features Sproles' understated bass and Thomas' crisp brushwork. His arrangement of "When I Fall in Love" could easily be mistaken for
Erroll Garner. This reissue adds a bonus of three valuable alternate takes. ~ Ken Dryden