A Treat for Blythe Fans
Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Perhaps I lead a pretty dull life, but I must say that there are few things that are as exciting as finding a new Arthur Blythe CD at the local megamultimediamall. A couple of seconds into this one, even on the car stereo, and you know it is Arthur Blythe, who has an alto tone all his own. He is backed up on this session by John Hicks on piano (including some duet cuts with just these two vets playing together), Dwayne Dolphin on bass, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. The program is a nice mix of originals and standards, and the approach to the songs is also a mix of "standard" and "original" (e.g., playing John Coltrane's immortal ballad "Naima" with something of a Latin dance beat). This is a wonderful CD that jazz lovers should really appreciate."