Larry Fuller: Overjoyed

Pianist Larry Fuller is possibly best known as the last pianist in Ray Brown’s trio, as well as teaming with John Pizzarelli now and then, and he carries the baton well as a mainstreamer on this trio album with bassist Hassan Shakur and drummer Lewis Nash. Bop is in his marrow, and his stride is wonderfully rich as he digs in deep for snappy tunes like Wes Montgomery’s “Fried  Pies” and the get-downing “Got My Mojo Workin’.” He does a pair of tunes by Ray Evans, delivering some rich harmonies on “Mona Lisa” and romantically going solo on “Never Let Me Go,” while the other unaccompanied piece, “How Long Has This Been Going On” is a floating dream. His stride boogies well on his own “The Mooch” and he bounces like a Superball with Shakur during Oscar Peterson’s “Bossa Beguine” and his late employer’s “Lined With A  Groove.”The three do their best interplay on “Bossa Noa Do Marilla” and have a gas with Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed.” This guy needs to come to the Best Coast a bit more often; the young pianists here could use a few lessons.

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