Tommy Flanagan was one of those pianists that you just never wanted to miss when he came into town. No matter the setting, he was always classy, tasteful and never played a wrong note. Here, in this 1974 recording, you get to hear him in all his glory, in solo form, which is where pianists of his generation are best featured.
You can hear his rich left had on comfort food bop pieces like “Parisian Thoroughfare” or “Ruby My Dear” as his right hand skates and glides like Sonja Henie. Like all proto-boppers, he was weaned on the stride of Art Tatum, and the roots come out on the elegant “If You Could See Me Now” and darkly rococo’d “Yesterdays”. The highlight is a medley of Billy Strayhorn classics, with deep introspection on “Chelsea Bridge” and the obscure “Pretty Flower”. He could burn with the best on “Wail” while deftly dressed to the nines on “Lover”. What else are you looking for in a pianist?