It’s as rare these days as Catholic Priests with beards, but once in a great while, if you look carefully, you can actually spot a pianist that is a dyed in the wool bebopper. Benny Green, who’s always on the cusp of being one of the major guys on the piano, has always been one of the main torch bearers of 52nd Street jazz. Here with his trio of Peter Washington/b and Kenny Washington/dr, he delivers ten tunes that are dedicated to the genre as well as some of his hard bop heroes.
This highly satisfying session has a classic 50s Bud Powell feel to it, with Green’s fingers joyfully dancing over material like “Kenny Drew” and “Benny’s Crib.” Some assertive rhythm work is on display on “Jackie McLean” while a hint of Monk pops up on the Crepiscule-like “Vanished” and the joyful “Paraphrase.” You can’t help but tap your toes on the festive “Flying Saucer” and the exotic “Further Away” and title track deliver chords and shadows that allude to the master of the minor, Horace Silver. This disc cuts through the bone and gets to the absolute marrow of what is right about jazz.
Sunnyside Records