Benny Green: These Are Soulful Days (Blue Note)
The piano-guitar-bass line-up has a distinguished tradition in jazz, exemplified by Nat King Cole and, especially, Oscar Peterson's groups. If this delightful album is any guide, the meeting of Benny Green, Russell Malone and Christian McBride means another virtuoso trio can be added to the lineage. With Malone, a more than capable soloist, playing superb rhythm guitar, the music develops an almost irresistible momentum at times; Green and McBride, especially, produce one stunning solo after another. The material, originals by such as Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Lee Morgan, Elmo Hope and, for the title track, the late, unjustly overlooked Calvin Massey, has been carefully picked, neatly arranged and put over with a joyous swing that communicates the very evident pleasure the trio derived from their encounter.
Ray Comiskey
Tony Coe/Warren Vache: Street of Dreams (Zephyr Records)
With Vache and pianist Brian Lemon due to appear in Renards next week, their presence on this excellent new release is an indication of the kind of quality audiences can expect. Vache, one of the finest mainstream cornettists around, and co-leader Coe, whose tenor and soprano epitomise a cherished, utterly distinctive talent, are matched by Lemon, a vital part of an impeccable rhythm section completed by Dave Cliff, Dave Green and Allan Ganley on guitar, bass and drums respectively. Apart from a somewhat frantic Raincheck, Vache, Coe and Lemon - despite a slightly below par piano - are taste and imagination personified. Savoury versions of Li'l Darlin', In The Still Of The Night, I've Got A Crush On You and Nuages, among others, emphasise the depth of communion they share.
Ray Comiskey