Pianist
Geoff Keezer's second CD as a leader was recorded a few months before his nineteenth birthday and his takeover of the piano chair in
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the ultimate on-the-job training school for jazz musicians. But
Keezer's no wet-behind-the-ears overconfident whippersnapper, there's a surprising maturity and confidence in both his playing and his compositions. His jagged post-bop opener "The Jackleg Patrol" and the title track are very catchy, with the latter having the flavor of the early records that
Chick Corea and
Gary Burton made together.
Keezer is joined by the aggressive veteran vibraphonist
Steve Nelson, the superb drummer
Victor Lewis, and the relatively young bassist
Charnett Moffett, all of whom provide strong support for the teenage leader. ~ Ken Dryden