Guitarist
Frank Potenza was a part of the final edition of the
Gene Harris Quartet, and also a protégé of the late
Joe Pass. On
The Legacy,
Potenza is joined by bassist
Luther Hughes and drummer
Paul Kreibich (his former bandmates with
Harris), along with pianist
Larry Fuller. The result is a solid studio session mixing hard bop, ballads, and bossa novas. While the CD is dedicated to
Harris,
Fuller doesn't attempt to copy the late pianist's style. Opening with a cooking rendition of the ballad "My Foolish Heart," the quartet sounds like one that has been working together for years.
Potenza gets a solid groove going in
Hank Mobley's "Funk in Deep Freeze." His unaccompanied introduction to "I Wish I Knew" sets up a spacious, very lyrical arrangement. The guitarist's "A Blues for Frank E" is dedicated to his late father; this brisk, bluesy waltz features some of his hottest playing on the session. A blues-drenched vamp sets up a relaxed treatment of "Sweet Georgia Brown," which many musicians feel obligated to play at rapid-fire tempos. It's impossible to keep one's feet still while enjoying the quartet's interpretation of
Victor Feldman's "Rio," especially during
Kreibich's solo. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden