Right in the middle of celebrating his 79th birthday,
Clark Terry went into the studio for several days to record 14 duets with a different pianist on each track, with many of them being veterans of many record dates and/or concerts with him.
Terry remains one of the most easily identifiable trumpeters and flügelhorn players in jazz, so much so that more than one critic has claimed the ability to identify him after just one note. Each track is dedicated to a great performer of the past, though no attempt is made to copy famous recordings, of course.
Terry's brilliant flügelhorn swings mightily along with
Monty Alexander on the surprising dedication to
Nat King Cole of "L.O.V.E.," which was a hit for him after
Cole had all but quit playing piano and enjoyed even greater success as a popular singer. The choice of Lil Hardin Armstrong's "Just for a Thrill" is also an interesting one, versus her better known "Struttin' With Some Barbecue";
Terry's fat tone on his big horn is well complemented by
Geri Allen.
Terry scats an imitation of brushes on cymbals to introduce "Swingin' the Blues" with
Junior Mance before switching to muted trumpet. Old friend
Marian McPartland works with
Terry to produce a mesmerizing rendition of "Skylark." Also present are
Sir Roland Hanna,
Kenny Barron,
John Lewis,
Barry Harris,
Tommy Flanagan,
Don Friedman,
Billy Taylor,
Benny Green,
Eric Reed, and
Eric Lewis. There is not one performance that rates less than excellent within this very highly recommended CD. ~ Ken Dryden