Jazz pianist
David Hazeltine, like many baby-boomer musicians, is influenced by
Wes,
Buddy, and
Monk Montgomery and
Cedar Walton. For what he calls his most personally driven recording date, he pays tribute to them by composing a four-part suite inspired by their sounds.
Hazeltine and his quintet -- which includes the formidable vibraphonist
Joe Locke and longtime collaborator tenor saxophonist
Eric Alexander -- give alms with some well-conceived and executed modern mainstream jazz. The suite begins as a neo-bop cadence buoys a splattering of several
Cedar-flavored motifs, two-note accents, and piano-bass unison lines for "Motivation." "Reverence" has
Locke's vibes shimmering on a low and slow Latin-shaded piece, followed by another bright neo-bop melody, "Insight," and the finale is a 6/8 composition, "Gratitude," that could have easily fit into the repertoire of
Walton and
Bobby Hutcherson's Timeless All Stars book. Of the five stand-alone tracks, two are covers left until the end of the CD --
Walton's much lesser-known "Shoulders" is as straight-ahead as jazz gets, while
Buddy Montgomery's "Personage of Wes" is a kinetic, uppity sizzler. A newly arranged complex and arresting intro is tacked onto the standard "I Should Care," and
Hazeltine's original "Don't Walk Away" is treated in a Latin fashion, occasional percussionist
Daniel Sadownick adding the spice, but again settles in the modern mainstream.
Hazeltine has not put out the full-force blockbuster breakthrough recording his clear talent indicates, but this one ranks with his many best efforts. ~ Michael G. Nastos