More contemporary jazz with a lot of space in it, but a strictly acoustic association of three richly experienced soloists on the interesting French Sketch label. Kenny Wheeler's celebrated audacity of line on trumpet and flugelhorn and originality as a composer (five of 11 tunes here are his) are ideally showcased by such an intimate setting, and his connection with pianist John Taylor goes back years. Bassist del Fra, an accompanist to the late Chet Baker who is therefore more than familiar with treading softly, is also a remarkably expressive and tonally rich performer - particularly with the bow.
The prevailing atmosphere engendered by Taylor's chamber-group sophistication and Wheeler's unique brand of swinging melancholy is meticulous and low-key. Taylor is at his most Bill Evans-like on his own pieces, The Woodcocks and Evansong, while del Fra's Between the Lines intersperses snippets of bop with bursts of lateral piano. Wheeler is lithe and squiggly over a repeating piano figure on the inexorably building Soldiering On, and surefooted all over the range on the delicious, slow Half Baroque, against del Fra's responsive pizzicato. - John Fordham
Tracks
01. For Dor (Kenny Wheeler)
02. The Strange One (Kenny Wheeler)
03. The Woodcocks (John Taylor)
04. Fables (John Taylor)
05. Between The Lines (Riccardo Del Fra (Riccardo Del Fra)
06. Soldering On (John Taylor)
07. Old Ballad (Kenny Wheeler)
08. And In Her Eyes (Riccardo Del Fra)
09. Evansong (John Taylor)
10. Half Baroque (Kenny Wheeler)
11. Strange Too (Kenny Wheeler)
JOHN TAYLOR piano
KENNY WHEELER trumpet, flugelhorn
RICCARDO DEL FRA double bass
Recorded October 30-31 and November 1, 2001
Sketch - SKE 333022