This trio date by pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette has Mabern originals dedicated to Sonny Stitt and Wayne Shorter, plus some offbeat standards and a pair of rarely performed John Coltrane tunes ("Straight Street" and "Crescent"). The interplay between the musicians is impressive and Mabern is heard throughout in excellent form. He closes the set with a piano solo that he titled "Apab and Others," after Art Tatum, Phineas Newborn, Ahamd Jamal and Bud Powell. This will be a difficult CD to find. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
01. Mr. Stitt (Harold Mabern)
02. It’s All in the Game (Carl Sigman / Charles Dawes)
03. To Wayne (Harold Mabern)
04. Afterhoughts (Harold Mabern)
05. Straight Street (John Coltrane)
06. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing (Stevie Wonder)
07. Crescent (John Coltrane)
08. It’s You or No One (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne)
09. Seminole (Harold Mabern)
10. Apab and Others (Harold Mabern)
HAROLD MABERN piano
RON CARTER bass
JACK DeJOHNETTE drums
Recorded at A & R Recordings, NYC on December 11, 1989
DIW – 608 (Japan)