Search - Claude Bolling :: Plays the Original Piano Greats

European jazz piano

B. D. Tutt | London, UK. | 04/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Claude Bolling is one of the top jazz pianists Europe has produced. Best known for his Big Band recordings and for his jazz / classical crossover compositions, this 1972 solo session demonstrates his ability as a mainstream pianist. The results are a little mixed. "King Porter Stomp" is rather four square and closer to ragtime than any Morton performance. Similarly, the Waller items are overfamiliar and at times rather rushed. However, the three Hines tracks are excellent - Bolling really captures Hines' early style. The highlight of the CD is a rather unlikely stride transformation of Horace Silver's funky "The Preacher", taken at a rocking medium tempo, and demonstrating Bolling's ability to build up the tension in a solo.An enjoyable disc for fans of mainstream jazz piano."