Walter Smith III: three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not

With as warm a tenor as legally possible, Walter Smith teams up with fellow  Houston natives Jason Moran/p and Eric Harland/dr, and Virgin Island born Reuben Roger/dr joining in for the originals. The songs are all in medium to medium rare, with a bit of red and pink in the middle, with the team burning mostly on the tricky bopper “A Brief Madness” and adding some smoky flavor to the high heat of “Montrose Nocturne”. Smith simmers with Moran on “610 Loop” and the two go somber for “Misanthrope’s Hymn”. A rich taste of fat is tasted on the bluesy and languid “Gangsterism on Moranish” and the coals are orange for a flavorful “seesaw”. No seasoning needed to be added here.

www.bluenote.com

Leave a Reply