This is the type of recording opportunity that many jazz pianists dream of: a perfectly tuned superior sounding nine-foot grand in an acoustically exceptional performance hall (The Maestro Foundation, which is actually within an elegant private home!) with an attentive and extremely quiet audience.
Dick Hyman takes advantage of all these factors, adding his wide ranging taste in jazz and impeccable playing technique to produce a very memorable CD of solo piano. His stunning opener is a fabulous interpretation of "The Way You Look Tonight," and the program also includes stride ("Carolina Shout"), playful takes of "Just You, Just Me" and "Tea for Two," an elegant waltzing "Lover," and the obscure "Odeon" from the early days of the 20th century.
Hyman also adds his jaunty tribute to
Bix Beiderbecke ("Thinking About Bix") and delivers a breathtaking treatment of "Shenandoah," a piece of Americana that has retained universal appeal over its long history. Although
Dick Hyman has made superb CDs and LPs over his decades-long career, this masterpiece should be considered essential, too, by fans of jazz piano. ~ Ken Dryden