For jazz pianist
Steve Allee, his trio recording
Colors is a multi-faceted modern recording that reflects well on his influences and charts a path toward his own original voicings and shadings. With bassist
Bill Mobley and drummer
Tim Horner, he has excellent rhythm navigators to help him blaze this trail. It's clear that
Allee has listened to more than his fair share of
Bill Evans,
McCoy Tyner,
Herbie Hancock,
Chick Corea, and
Keith Jarrett. What is also evident is that he's mixing and matching various subtle and distinct hues to create his own rainbow palate, which is imbued with a wondrous verve and spirit. He can play delicate much as
Evans or
Denny Zeitlin might during "Lucaya," get into a basic but modern modal groove fueled by
Horner's clockwork timing as on "Bubbles," or utilize a broad dynamic range as he demonstrates during "Fishes." There a quiet confidence brewing during the standards "Yesterdays" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," both thoughtfully rearranged and far from stock charts. The most impressive of his originals are the dreamy spirit pieces such as the waltz "Changes," the ringing 3/4 melody of "Pure Spirit," and especially "Tree Stories," replete with a Native American theme over a bed of ostinato bass and left-hand piano unison that is beauty personified. The title track shows
Allee's more personal colors, with shadings from late midnight blue in the intro to an oceanic melody of deepest blue-green. This is a fine recording that is more interesting upon repeat listenings, and establishes
Allee as a first-rate player who can easily rank with contemporaries
Robert Glasper,
Jason Lindner, and
Sam Barsh.