Dutchman
Jan Verwey, like Belgian great
Toots Thielemans, is a virtuoso harmonica player, though he isn't widely known outside of Europe. Unlike
Thielemans, who has had numerous opportunities to record as a leader,
Verwey has done so only sporadically. He's joined for this 1992 studio session by pianist
Jack van Poll, flugelhornist
Angelo Verploegen (who appears on just two songs), drummer John Engels Jr., and bassist Hein van de Geijn, all of whom play at a high level.
Verwey invites comparison to
Thielemans by covering a number of standards and jazz compositions previously recorded by the Belgian. His lyrical takes of
Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance" and
Michel Legrand's "You Must Believe in Spring" are impressive. The unaccompanied introduction to "Nardis," which utilizes the fiendishly difficult octave technique, is stunning; his delicious exchanges with
Verploegen in a brisk take of "Bouncin' With Bud" are also a delight. His original "Theme for Joke" is a reworking of the chord changes to the standard "You Stepped Out of a Dream." While jazz greats such as
Phil Woods have long been aware of
Verwey's abilities, he merits more attention from the jazz press and jazz radio, though one of his greatest hurdles is the poor distribution of labels like Timeless in the United States. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden