Bassist/vocalist Jeff Denson leads his trio of Dan Zemelman/p and Jon Arkin/dr along with guest alto icon Lee Konitz through a mix of standards and cool bop classics. Konitz’s acrid tone sounds dreamy on the gentle gait of “Duet” and bops with the bowed bassist on “Background Music.” Zemelman and Kontize do some wonderful things with a take of “Subconscious Lee” whle Denson delivers a solo version to close the album. The leader shows his picking chops on Lennie Tristano’s clever “Baby” and the intricate “East Thirty-Second” while he shows some diversity by doing a bit of singing as on “Skylark” and “Blue Skies.” The cerebral stew of serpentine themes reveals a style of jazz unfortunately forgotten, and hopefully Denson can revive it for wider appreciation.
Ridgeway Records