Kenny Werner has consistently delivered outstanding results on his many record dates as a leader, yet he often seems like he is still a talent deserving of wider recognition after decades on the jazz scene. This trio session for the Japanese label Venus features the pianist with bassist Johannes Weidenmüller and drummer
Ari Hoenig, two outstanding players who are a good bit younger than the leader. It is hard not to detect the influence of
Bill Evans upon
Werner in spots, especially in his lyrical touch, though he is far more than an
Evans clone.
Werner opens
Miles Davis' modal masterpiece "Nardis" with an unusual introductory vamp that almost suggests that he is setting up "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," then switches into an
Aaron Copland-flavored improvisation before revealing his true destination, yet never detouring into the familiar ground of
Evans' many recordings of the piece. Likewise,
Werner's impressionistic setting of "Blue in Green" is impressive.
Werner's "Beauty Secrets" reveals itself slowly, finally segueing into the centuries-old "Greensleeves." Having worked with a number of singers, including
Betty Buckley and
Roseanna Vitro,
Werner knows his way around standards especially well, including an elegant "With a Song in My Heart," an understated "Autumn Leaves," and a lively "All the Things You Are." ~ Ken Dryden