David Hazeltine
is an example of a creative modern
mainstream
pianist who often gets overlooked despite being a superior musician.
Hazeltine
swings, has his own voice within the tradition, and is an excellent songwriter, contributing three of the seven selections to this enjoyable CD. The pianist is teamed with the
hard boppish
trumpeter
Jim Rotondi
, altoist
Steve Wilson
, bassist
Peter Washington
, and drummer
Joe Farnsworth
for three of his songs, a drastic rearrangement of an
Earth, Wind & Fire
song (
"Reasons"
),
Thelonious Monk
's
"Pannonica,"
"Where Are You?,"
and a ten-minute version of
"Doxy."
The solos are expressive and often fiery, and the playing is at a consistently high level. Easily recommended to modern
hard bop
collectors. ~ Scott Yanow