Pianist
Jim McNeely
, who includes stints with
Ted Curson
,
Stan Getz
Thad Jones
and
Mel Lewis
, and
Phil Woods
on his lengthy resume, has been gradually recognized by the
jazz
public as a terrific composer, but these 1976 sessions, which mark one of his earliest dates as a leader, show him to be a very advanced writer at an early stage of his career. The hypnotic opener,
"Wishful Thinking,"
features
Larry Schneider
on soprano sax in a
modal
setting.
McNeely
switches to electric piano for his playful
"Little Green Men."
On the catchy
"Tipe Tizwe,"
based on a
traditional
African folk
song, the leader plays both piano and African thumb piano (which is rarely heard in
), and is joined only by percussionist
Sam Jacobs
.
"Rain's Dance"
is a driving
post-bop
composition that marks the typical ebb and flow in the intensity of a summer storm; it's heard in two separate takes, featuring fine solos by
, bassist
Mike Richmond
Larry Schenider
on tenor sax. This adventurous date by
is well worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden