While many of today's jazz pianists are looking to make a name for themselves by morphing their jazz chops with shades of hip hop, the avant-garde, or world music, David Hazeltine avoids these pitfalls altogether. His individuality is achieved through commitment to his craft and an immediately recognizable composing and arranging style that has a clear and refreshing sense of purpose. Even while he pays tribute to Cedar Walton on For All We Know, Hazeltine's music speaks with a decisive quality that marks him as one of the true piano greats of his generation.
There's much to be said for the cohesiveness that comes from musicians sharing the stage together on a regular basis and in the case of Hazeltine, bassist David Williams, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, you'd be hard pressed to find a rhythm section that is more in tune with itself. Providing the 'yin' to the trio's 'yang' is tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, making his first appearance here with Hazeltine and crew.
If you're familiar with Hazeltine's music, you know that he's become somewhat of an icon when it comes to rearranging standards. He has a knack of making everything he touches sound like his own work, breathing new life into standards like "My Ship,""Imagination," and "For All We Know." His own pieces are no less interesting, with him doubling melody lines with Blake on "Pooh" or reprising the funky excitement of "Eddie Harris," a tune first heard several years ago on a One For All set. All in all, this is another solid addition to Hazeltine's catalog and his first live recording as a leader. - C. Andrew Hovan
Tracks
01. Et Cedra
02. My Ship (Kurt Weill)
03. Pooh
04. Lord Walton
05. For All We Know
06. Eddie Harris
07. Cheryl (Charlie Parker)
08. Imagination
09. Don’t Let It Go
10. A.D. Bossa
SEAMUS BLAKE tenor saxophone
DAVID HAZELTINE piano
DAVID "HAPPY" WILLIAMS bass
JOE FARNSWORTH drums
Music composed by David Hazeltine, except (2) by Kurt Weill and (7) by Charlie Parker
Recorded live at Smoke Jazz Club, September 20 & 21, 2013
Smoke Sessions Records – SSR 1405