AH! The Hammond B3 trio with sax and drums, and Hammond hitter Mark Minchello makes the team wheeze, groove and fog up an interesting and well thought collection of tunes. They keep away from the blues and instead venture into uncharted waters by doing tunes not usually associated with this genre. Wayne Shorter gets a couple songs, and both “Wild Flower” and “United” work remarkably well with smoky fog and gentle lilts on the former and a joyful sashaying dance on the latter make for some great moments. Hanlon’s tenor is molasses rich with Minchello’s deep vamps on “Blue in Green” while Hanlon’s soprano walks through the hues on his on his own “Here’s The Thyme.” Bob Devos brings his guitar in on a couple of welcome tracks, gliding through a slick groove on Hanlon’s “River” and adding some slines on “United.” The band sounds coy on the flavorful “Nobody Else But Me” and joyfully struts on Thelonious Monk’s “Eronel.” Bravo for song selection and mood creation.
SteepleChase Records