Bassist Tim Ferguson obviously doesn’t like crowds. He did a nice cozy and spacious quartet date last year with guitarist Tom Dempsey, and now he’s in an unorthodox trio setting with Rob hence/tp-ah and Diane Moser/p for a collection of pastoral tunes that are sensitively lyrical yet gently swinging. Henke’s got a rich tone on his horn, akin to vintage Miles, particularly when on the Harmon mute on the dainty “Only A Dream” or relaxed “A Drink and A Cigarette.” There is some rich interplay on more stretched out pieces as Ferguson bows and picks in and out of the weaving piano and horn on “Un Bel Lago” while West Coast Cool bops up on “One For Mal.” Everyone gets a bit frisky and assertive on Moser’s “If You Call Me, Then I’ll Call You” which displays some wonderful thoughts by the composer, while the entire disc, taken as a whole, feels like a rich panorama of a sunset. Lots of wonderful hues here.
Planet Arts Records